War Department, conducted at Ithaca a school of military aeronautics, a school of aerial photography, a school for mili- tary artisans, and a unit of the Students' Army Training Corps, and, at the medical college in New York, a school of rontgen- ology for officers of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Many mem- bers of the faculty gave professional or technical service to the Government. About 7,000 students and former students of the university were in uniform; 1,500 of these were in officers' training organizations when hostilities ceased; of the others, 3,300, or 60%, were commissioned officers; 216 died in the service; 147 were decorated for distinguished services or gallan- try in action. (W. P.)
CORONEL (German, Santa Maria), the name given to the naval battle fought on Nov. i 1914 about 40 m. to the W. of Coronel (Chile), between a British cruiser squadron under Rear-Adml. Sir Christopher Cradock and the German East Asiatic Squadron under Adml. Graf von Spec.
The British squadron consisted of the armoured cruisers " Good Hope " (flag., Capt. Philip Francklin: 1902, 14, 200 tons, 2 9-2-in., 16 6-in., 21 knots) and " Monmouth " (Capt. Frank Brandt: 1903, 9,800 tons, 14 6-in., 22-3 knots), the light cruiser " Glasgow " (Capt. John Luce: 1910, 4,800 tons, 2 6-in., 10 4-in., 25 knots), and the armed merchant cruiser " Otranto-" (Capt. Herbert M. Edwards: 16 knots, 4 4-7-in.). In the case of the first three ships the full sea-going speed is given. The German squadron consisted of the armoured cruisers " Scharn- horst " (flag) and " Gneisenau " (both 1908, 11,420 tons, 8 8-in., 6 5'9-in., 205 knots) and the light cruisers " Leipzig " (1906, 3,200 tons, 10 4-i-in., 20 knots), " NUrnberg " (1908, 3,396 tons, 10 4-i-in., 22 knots) and "Dresden" (1908, 3,544 tons, 12 4-i-in., 25 knots). The figures, even as they stand, are sufficient to establish a definite German superiority, but they were accentuated by other circumstances. In the heavy weather prevailing at the time the " Good Hope " and " Mon- mouth " could not fight their main-deck guns, and their broad- side discharge (including " Glasgow ") was reduced to 2 9-2-in. and 12 6-in. with a weight of 1,960 Ib. against the German 12 8-2-in. with a weight of 2,904 pounds. The Germans in addition had the inestimable advantage of having been in commission over two years and being in a state of prime gunnery efficiency, whereas the " Good Hope " and " Monmouth " were both 3rd Fleet ships, which had been lying idle in the dockyards, manned entirely with reserve men on the outbreak of war. The " Canopus " (Capt. Heathcoat Grant), another 3rd Fleet ship (with 4 i2-in. and 12 6-in. guns), had been relegated by Rear-Adml. Cradock to purposes of convoy, as she could steam only 12 knots, and was 300 m. to the S. escorting two colliers when the action began. There can be little doubt that neither in guns nor in gunnery was the British squadron capable of meeting the enemy, and long before the fatal day it should have been reinforced by at least two cruisers of the'ist Cruiser Squad- ron, all of which were ships in long commission with good arma- ment. ("Defence" carried 4 9-2-in., "Warrior," "Black Prince," "Duke of Edinburgh," 6 9-2-in.) This measure had been suggested, and even ordered in the case of the " Defence," but had never reached fulfilment. The " Black Prince " and " Duke of Edinburgh " were doing convoy work in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, and the " Warrior " was at Port Said, while the " Defence " was with Rear-Adml. Stoddart on the east coast of South America.
Cradock left VaUenar (Chonos, Chile) with the " Monmouth " on Oct. 30 and proceeded N., leaving the " Canopus " to remedy engine defects and bring on colliers. The " Glasgow " had been sent on to Coronel (Concepcion) to send and receive telegrams, and a rendezvous had been arranged with her 50 m. W. of Coronel for Nov. i. The junction took place at i P.M., and as the sea was too heavy for boats, the mail was floated to the " Good Hope." It had scarcely been opened, and the rear- admiral was probably just reading his telegrams, when at i -.50 P.M. German wireless sounded loud and clear.
Von Spee had come from Mas-a-Fuera, the last anchorage in his long Pacific trip. On Oct. 30 he had sighted the lofty ranges
of the Andes, and the " Prinz Eitel Friedrich," an armed mer- chantman, had been sent into Valparaiso to coal, while the squadron cruised at slow speed out of sight of the port. At 3 A.M. on Nov. i she sent news of the " Glasgow's " visit to Coronel on Oct. 31 and the German admiral steered S. to intercept her.
Cradock, when the report of German wireless came in, had made a signal to spread 15 m. on a line of bearing N.E. by E. (in the order from westward " Good Hope," " Monmouth," " Otranto " and " Glasgow "), course N.W. by N., 10 knots, to get in touch with the enemy. At 4:20 P.M. the line was not yet completely formed when the " Glasgow," to the E., sighted smoke and altered course N. 80 E. to get in touch with it. At 4:40 P.M. she reported the " Scharnhorst " and " Gneisenau " steering between S.E. and S. She turned at once to S. 65 W., closing at full speed on the " Good Hope," and the whole line began to close rapidly on the flagship. The " Canopus J> was 300 m. to the S., toiling with her colliers in a heavy sea.
Von Spee had been steering S. at 14 knots. The " Nurnberg " and " Dresden " had been detached to examine passing ships, and the former was 25 m., the latter 12 m. in rear. About
An image should appear at this position in the text. A high-res raw scan of the page is available. To use it as-is, as a placeholder, edit this page and replace "{{missing image}}" with "{{raw image|EB1922 - Volume 30.djvu/799}}". If it needs to be edited first (e.g. cropped or rotated), you can do so by clicking on the image and following the guidance provided. [Show image]  | |
OTRANTOx^ GLASGOW^
CORONEL
Nov.l'J 1914.
(not to scale t
JVIONMOUTH V -*GOOD HOPE .5.55
BRITISH
GLASGOW < ...
OTRANTO
.^'5.55
/' GERMAN
f J NURNBERG
' J DRESDEN ' J. LEIPZIG / ^. GNEISENAU SCHARNHORST
open flre Lat.37'40S Long 73"58W
- MON
9.25
8pm.
)809
'--> CORONEL
30 miles
4:15 P.M. von Spee was about 40 m. N. of Arauco Bay when the " Glasgow " was sighted to the W., and he turned and followed, working up to full speed. It had been blowing hard from the S.E. (von Spee says S.), and a heavy sea was running, hurling sheets of spray right over the conning towers; the sun was setting in the south-west. When the " Glasgow " sighted the enemy the " Good Hope " was some 26 m. to W. of her, and turned to the E. to join her squadron, as they came closing in. By 5 =50 P.M. the British squadron was in line, with the " Good Hope " leading and the " Monmouth," " Glasgow " and "Otranto" behind, on an easterly course. The enemy were about ii m. away to the E., steering south-westward (see map). Both squadrons now altered course to the S., and by 6:4 P.M. were steering approximately parallel courses at a range of about I4i765 yards. Cradock then seems to have tried to close in order to force an action while the sun was still high enough to dazzle the enemy, but von Spee turned away and Cradock resumed his southerly course. Had he not been hampered by the:
