Coronel, battle of

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Coronel, battle of, 1914. At the outbreak of the First World War, the German Pacific squadron, commanded by Admiral von Spee, steamed across the Pacific with the intention of rounding Cape Horn and returning to Germany. On 1 November 1914 von Spee was intercepted by a British squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Craddock off Coronel on the Chilean coast. The Germans had more modern vessels armed with heavier guns and within an hour they had sunk most of Craddock's ships and resumed their voyage. They were themselves sunk at the battle of the Falkland Islands in December.

David French

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