[Sailor Steve]

August 6

German Vice-Admiral Count Maximilian von Spee leaves the port of Ponape in the Caroline Islands. His squadron consists of the new armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the light cruiser Nurnberg. The rest of Spee's squadron were far removed: the light cruisers Dresden and Karlsruhe were in the Carribean and a third light cruiser, Leipzig, was patrolling off the west coast of the United States. The last ship of the squadron, the light cruiser Emden, was dispatched to the Indian Ocean, and would soon be wreaking havoc all over that area.

SMS Karlesruhe meets the liner Kronprinz Wilhelm, 27,000 tons, with guns and equipment to convert her into an Armed Merchant Cruiser. Just as this operation is finished at British squadron is sighted. The two ships flee in opposite directions. Admiral Christopher Cradock ignores the liner and pursues Karlesruhe. though Cradock is losing ground he continues the pursuit, knowing that ahead HMS Bristol lies in wait. Just after dark Bristol sees the German ship and opens fire. Karlsruhe swings around and returns the compliment. In the dark it is a matter of luck to hit anything, even at 7,000 yards. Karlsruhe pulls away and by 2230 the German ship escapes into the darkness. Because Karlsruhe is getting low on coal Captain Köhler is forced to run at nine knots all the way to St. Thomas. This inadvertantly works to his favor as HMS Suffolk, racing to intercept Karlsruhe, crossed her path in the night and is now far beyond the interception point.

Spee's East Asiatic Squadron was originally based at Tsingtao, China, and had moved to Ponape when it started looking like war was inevitable. The ships were all fairly new, and had coaling stations on islands all over the Pacific.

Off the southeastern tip of the Arabian peninsula SMS Königsberg captures SS City of Winchester, a 6,601-ton British freighter carrying a large part of the 1913-1914 tea crop from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The crew are transferred to the supply ship Zieten, and City of Winchester kept with the supply fleet until all her provisions and coal can be taken aboard the German ships.


The Goeben Affair, part 3

At 01:30 the light cruiser Gloucester, commanded by Captain Howard Kelly, sighted the Germans and reported their position. He continued to shadow the Germans all that day. Early in the afternoon Breslau began to zig-zag, apparently pretending to drop mines. Gloucester opened fire, and the two light cruisers engaged in a brief gun duel. Admiral Souchon turned his battlecruiser around and opened fire as well. Kelly turned his cruiser away, and at 14:45 sent this signal: "Have engaged at long range with Breslau and retreated when Goeben turned. I am now following again".

At 16:00 Kelly's ship was starting to run low on coal, so he sent a final report and turned around.