FALKLAND ISLANDS 



3074 



FALKLAND ISLANDS 



sq. m., excluding S. Georgia, es- 

 timated at 1,000 sq. m. The chief 

 are Falkland (area 3,000 sq. m. ) and, 

 W. Falkland (2,300 sq. m.). The 

 highest point is Mt. Adam (2.315 

 ft.) on W. Falkland. E. Falkland 

 ia hilly in the N., but low-lying, 

 marshy, and boggy elsewhere. Trees 

 are lacking, but grasses flourish ; 

 vegetables and green crops are cul- 

 tivated. The coasts are much in- 

 dented, affording good anchorage. 

 The chief industries are sheep- 

 farming and whale fishing ; horses 

 and cattle are reared. Apart from 

 the important pastoral industry at 

 the Falklands and the extensive 

 whaling of the dependencies, there 

 are few enterprises of commercial 

 value. A mutton-canning factory 

 has been established, and at S. 

 Georgia sealing is carried on. The 

 climate in the Falklands, although 

 very bleak, is healthy. In the S. 

 Orkneys, S. Shetlands, and Graham 

 Land, the land is covered with 

 snow and glaciers, except in a few 

 low-lying spots during the summer. 

 The almost constant succession of 

 strong winds, snowstorms and fogs 

 makes it a most inhospitable re- 

 gion. The only indigenous mam- 

 mals are the fox and mouse. 



Stanley, the capital, is the only 

 town. It is on E. Falkland, and 

 possesses a good harbour. Regular 

 communication is established, by 

 steamer and wireless, with Great 

 Britain. T he S andwich group ( q. v . ) 

 is also a dependency. The chief ex- 

 ports are animal products. Pop. 950. 

 The Falklands were discovered 

 by John Davis in 1502, and taken 

 by the French in 1764. Recovered 

 three years later by the British, 

 who were ejected by the Spaniards, 

 and it was not until 1832 that they 

 finally became British. Off these 

 islands Sturdee won a naval victory 

 over a German squadron, under 

 von Spee, in Dec., 1914. In 1917 

 a committee was appointed to 

 study the development of the re- 

 sources of the dependencies of the 

 islands. Their report was issued 

 as a blue-book (Cd. 657) in 1920. 

 Pop. of the colony, including S 

 Georgia, 3,451. 



Falkland Islands, BATTLE OF 

 THE. Naval engagement during the 

 Great War, Dec. 8. 1914. Follow- 

 ing his appointment as first sea lord 

 at the end of Oct, 1914, Lord Fisher 

 took immediate steps to concen- 

 trate overwhelming force against 

 the German squadron, which had 

 just^destroyed Cradock's two 

 cruisers at Coronel (q. v. ). He deter- 

 mined to dispatch the two battle 

 cruisers Invincible and Inflexible 

 secretly to the Falklands. The 

 force of battle cruisers available 

 for work in British waters was very 

 small, and was reduced to three by 



BATTLE OF 



FALKLAND ISLANDS 



Nautical Miles 



Figuris give tirn'e 



-3 / 



fSchamKorst 

 . - sunk +I7P.H. 

 Gneisenau 

 sunk 6.0ZKM. 



Falkland Islands. Chart illustrating the course of the naval battle of Dec. 8, 



1914. Inset, map showing the relative position of the Falkland Islands to the 



main land 



this detachment and by the dis- 

 patch of a battle cruiser to N. 

 American waters. On Nov. 11 

 the two ships left England under 

 Vice-Adm. Sturdee. Off the Bra- 

 zilian coast they were joined by 

 the old armoured cruisers Car- 

 narvon, Cornwall, and Kent, the 

 light cruisers Glasgow and Bristol, 

 and the armed ships Macedonia 

 and Orama. They reached Port 

 William in the Falklands on Dec. 7, 

 and immediately began to coal. 

 In the harbour there was the old 

 battleship Canopus, with 12-in. 

 guns, so moored as to act as a 

 floating battery. 



Von Spee had heard nothing of 

 the movements of the battle 

 cruisers, and expected to find only 

 a weak British force at the Falk- 

 lands. His plan was to destroy 

 any vessels there, and then to seize 

 the British naval base. After that 

 he intended to proceed to the Cape 

 of Good Hope, where he expected 

 to be joined by a large number of 

 disaffected Boers. At 7.50 a.m. of 

 Dec, 8 he was sighted off the Falk- 

 lands. His flag was hoisted in the 

 Scharnhorst, armoured cruiser, and 

 with him was her sister ship, 

 Gneisenau, the light cruisers Nurn- 

 berg, Leipzig, and Dresden, and 

 three transports. As soon as the 

 Germans were sighted Sturdee 

 ordered his ships to raise steam for 

 full speed and at 8.30 sounded for 

 action. 



At 9.20 Gneisenau approached 

 the wireless station and was fired 

 on by Canopus' s 12-in. guns. 

 Supposing that she was being 

 attacked by coast defences of un- 

 expected strength, she turned 

 away ; a little later her officers saw 

 the tripod masts of the two British 

 battle cruisers, whereupon all von 



Spee's squadron increased speed 

 and steered E. Von Spee ordered 

 his crews to prayers, warning them 

 of the ordeal before them. About 

 10 the British squadron put to sea, 

 and as the Germans were in good 

 view and reported to be going only 

 15 knots, the British cruisers 

 steamed for some time at moderate 

 speed (20 knots) to allow the 

 older British vessels to close up. 

 At 12.20 p.m. Sturdee quickened 

 first to 22 and then to 25 knots ; 

 at 12.51 the first shots were fired, 

 and a few minutes later the firing 

 became general. 



Soon after 1, the German light 

 cruisers parted company with the 

 armoured cruisers and fled S., 

 followed by the British cruisers, 

 while Sturdee with Invincible and 

 Inflexible engaged Scharnhorst and 

 Gneisenau, steaming generally 

 S.E. Sturdee's two ships were 

 now going " all out," and fast 

 overhauled their opponents, who 

 were repeatedly engaged at ranges 

 of 16,000 to 13,000 yards. At 

 3.30 Scharnhorst was on fire ; two 

 funnels had been shot away and 

 the red glow of flame could be 

 seen in her. She struggled on 

 gallantly and received a whole 

 series of hits till at 4.4 p.m. she 

 listed, turned over on her beam 

 ends, and sank at 4.17 with every 

 soul on board. 



Fire was next concentrated on 

 Gneisenau, at ranges of 10,000- 

 12,000 yards. She had been much 

 damaged in the earlier part of the 

 action ; now her second funnel was 

 knocked over ; and at 5.30 she was 

 badly on fire with steam and 

 smoke pouring from her. Just as 

 the British sMps were about to 

 close, supposing that she had 

 ceased resistance, she discharged 



