Battle of Falkland Islands (1914)

[shipstamps]

On December 8th 1964, the Falkland Islands Post Office issued a set of four stamps commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Falkland Islands. The outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 found a German squadron in the Pacific commanded by Vice-Admiral Graf von Spee in the cruiser Scharnhorst with the Gneisenau and the light cruisers Leipzig, Nurnberg and Dresden. Their crews were experienced and highly trained and the two larger ships were fast and heavily armed.
Protecting British trade and possessions in South America was Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock in the cruiser Good Hope, with the Monmouth, the light cruiser Glasgow and the armed merchant-man Otranto. Also in the command was the elderly battleship Canopus. The British ships were inferior to the German squadron, as they were older and carried less effective guns. On November 1, 1914, in rough weather and fading light, off Coronel Bay, on the coast of Chile, von Spee caught four of Cradock's ships, sinking the Good Hope and Monmouth. The others escaped.
The defeat caused instant reaction in London, where Mr. Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty and Admiral Lord Fisher was First Sea Lord. The battle cruisers Invincible, wearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir F. G. D. Sturdee, and the Inflexible were sent out. In the South Atlantic they were joined by the cruisers Carnarvon (flying the flag of Rear-Admiral A. P. Stoddart), Bristol, Kent, Cornwall and the Glasgow, one of the survivors of the Coronel battle.
This British squadron was coaling in Port Stanley on the morning of Tuesday, December 8, having arrived there the previous day to join H.M.S. Canopus and H.M.S. Macedonia, when a signal was received at 8 o'clock from the signal station on shore:
"A four-funnelled and two-funnelled man-of-war in sight from Sapper Hill, steering northwards".
At the time the positions of the various ships of the squadron were as follows: the Macedonia was at anchor as look-out ship; the Kent, guard ship, was at anchor in Port William; the Invincible, Inflexible, Carnarvon and Cornwall were in Port William; the Glasgow and Bristol were in Port Stanley; and the Canopus, guard ship.
The Kent was at once ordered to weigh anchor and a general signal was made to raise steam for full speed. At 8.20am the signal station reported another column of smoke in sight to the southward and at 8.45 a.m. the Kent passed down the harbour and took up station at the entrance.
The Canopus reported at 8.47 a.m. that the first two ships were eight miles off and that the smoke reported at 8.20 a.m. appeared to be the smoke of two ships about 20 miles off. At 8.50 a.m. the signal station reported a further column of smoke in sight to the southward. The Macedonia was ordered to weigh anchor on the inner side of the other ships and await orders.
At 9.20 a.m. the leading German ships Gneisenau and Nurnberg with guns trained on the wireless station, came within range of the Canopus, which opened fire at them across the low-lying land at a range of 11,000 yards. The Germans at once hoisted their colours and turned away. By this time the masts and smoke of the enemy were visible from the upper bridge of the Invincible at a range of approximately 17,000 yards across the low land to the south of Fort William.
A few minutes later the two cruisers altered course to port, as though to close the Kent at the entrance to the harbour, but it seems that the Invincible and Inflexible were seen over the land, as the enemy again altered course and increased speed to join their consorts.
The Glasgow weighed and proceeded at 9.40 a.m. with orders to join the Kent and observe the enemy's movements. At 8.45 a.m. the squadron weighed and proceeded out of harbour, and received the signal for a general chase at 10.20 a.m. The battle cruisers quickly overtook the Kent and Carnarvon and had to slow down to 20 knots at 11.15 a.m. to enable the cruisers to get into station.
At 12.47 p.m. the signal "open fire and engage the enemy" was made. The Inflexible opened fire at 12.55 p.m. from her fore turret, the Invincible a few moments later, at the same ship, the light cruiser Leipzig, at a range of 16,500 to 15,000 yards. The Leipzig turned away, followed by the Nurnberg and the Dresden, to the south west. These light cruisers were at once followed by the Kent, Glasgow and Cornwall, while the Invincible and Inflexible concentrated on the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
The situation was Coronel reversed, as the Germans were hopelessly outranged, and although they fought gallantly, the end was never in doubt. At 4.4 p.m. the Scharnhorst, whose flag remained flying to the last, suddenly listed to port and at 4.17 she disappeared. For nearly two hours the Gneisenau continued a determined but ineffectual effort to fight the two battle cruisers, at the end fighting with a single gun. At 6 p.m. she heeled over suddenly, taking a great many very brave men down with her. Every effort was made by the British ships to rescue as many lives as possible.
The action with the light cruisers Nurnberg, Leipzig and Dresden was also a drawn-out running fight. The first British guns were fired from the Glasgow at 3 p.m., the range being 12,000 yards, but it was not until 7 p.m. that the German ship was sunk, only seven officers and 11 men being saved. The Nurnberg sank at 7.27 p.m., and as she sank a group of men were waving a German ensign attached to a staff
While the Kent, Cornwall and Glasgow were engaged with the two cruisers within range, the superior speed of the Dresden enabled her to gradually increase her distance and in the reduced visibility the sky at 4 p.m. having become overcast, she made good her escape. She was however rounded up some months later, thus putting an end to the German threat in the South Atlantic.
The facts of the Falkland Islands battle mentioned above are based on the official account of Vice-Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee to the Admiralty, despatched from H.M.S, Invincible on December 19, 1914. Sturdee was made an Admiral of the Fleet in 1921.
SG215/218 Sea Breezes 2/65

[aukepalmhof]

The Falkland Islands issued in 2017 four stamps for the 5oth Anniversary of the Falkland Island Journal, two stamps of this set depict ships. The 76p shows the wreck of the JHELUM: http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... f=2&t=9685

£1.01 stamp. Depicts the cover from the 2014 issue
The recognition of centenaries and other notable anniversaries often featured in articles published in the Journal. 2014 was the centenary of the World War I naval battle of the Falklands and three research articles on the topic were printed.
The cover of the issue was a section of a painting of “The Battle of the Falkland Islands” by .J.S. Abrahams, Devonport, Feb 1915. The ships in view are (Left to Right) H.M.S. CARNARVON, http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... rvon#p5619 H.M.S. INVINCIBLE http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... ble#p11278 , H.M.S. INFLEXIBLE http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... ible#p5628 .

Source: Falkland Island Post.
Falkland Island 2017 £1.01 sg?, scott?
Gambia 2001 D7 sg?, scott?