When war was declared, Admiral Jerram was at Hongkong com pleting his mobilisation. With his squadron concentrated on Aug. 12, he destroyed the German wireless station at Yap Island. By Aug. 20 he had established a close watch on Tsingtau. Admiral von Spee was at the Caroline Islands with the cruisers "Scharn horst," "Gneisenau" and "Nurnberg." He left on Aug. 6 for Pagan Island, where he was joined on the 12th by the cruiser "Emden," which had slipped out of Tsingtau, on Aug. 7, with supply ships. At Pagan Island von Spee heard of the Japanese ultimatum to Germany. Japan commenced hostilities against Ger many on Aug. 22 and Jerram was thus freed to co-operate with the Australian squadron (Admiral Patey) in preventing von Spee from breaking through to the Indian Ocean.
The primary objective of the Japan ese was the German stronghold at Tsingtau. As soon as war was declared the port was blockaded by the Japanese Fleet and H.M.S. "Triumph" and Japanese troops were landed on Sept. 2. By Sept. 21 the fortress was invested by land and sea and on the next day, British troops having joined the Japanese, the gen eral attack commenced. Tsingtau held out until Nov. 7 when it surrendered.
The Australian squadron, under Admiral Patey concentrated at Port Moresby on Aug. 7 and, on the 9th, appeared off Rabaul, the government centre of German New Guinea. No German ships were present and of ter destroying telegraphic communication the squadron sailed to meet the New Zealand Samoa Expedition at Suva. Von Spee's whereabouts being unknown, the presence of the battlecruiser "Australia" with this expedition was necessary. Samoa surrendered on Aug. 3o and Patey %ailed to escort the Australian expedition against Rabaul. Little resistance was made to the landings on Sept. i i and Ger man New Guinea, with the Bismarck Archipelago, capitulated
Sept. 15. Patey's force was thus freed to attend to the Aus tralian and New Zealand convoys, as by this time it was certain that von Spee's destination was South America.
On Aug. 28 the German light cruiser "Emden" entered the Indian Ocean by way of the Molucca Strait and of ter being nearly found by the British cruiser "Hampshire" on Sept. 4 she made her dramatic appearance off the River Hoogly on Sept. 14. She ranged the Bay of Bengal Ail Sept. 25, born barding Madras on the 22nd. Then for a month she cruised in the western approaches to Ceylon, coaling at Diego Garcia. On Oct. 21, after a narrow escape from the "Hampshire" and the armed merchant cruiser "Empress of India," she crossed the In dian Ocean, appearing off Penang on the 28th. There she sank
the Russian cruiser "Zhemchug" and the French destroyer "Mousquet," and doubled back round the north of Sumatra. Un able to find her storeships, which had been sunk by the "Yar mouth," she made for the Cocos Islands. There on Nov. 9th, she was brought to action and sunk by H.M.A.S. "Sydney," so ending her remarkably successful raiding career in which she had sunk 15 ships.
With Japan's entry into the war, von Spee's position in Chinese waters became untenable, and he decided to make for South America. After despatching the "Em den" on her memorable cruise, he sailed east, passing through the Marshall Islands on Aug. 22. Here he detached the "Nurnberg" to Honolulu and sailed himself for Christmas Island. Arriving on Sept. 6, the "Nurnberg" rejoined next day, having cut the British cables at Fanning Island. On Sept. 14 von Spee appeared off Samoa and finding the place already in British hands, again sailed east. By this date Craddock had taken over the command of the South Atlantic and was coming south in search of the "Dresden." Von Spee, after bombarding Tahiti on Sept. 22, visited the Marquesa Islands on Oct. i and arrived at Easter Island on Oct. 12. Here he was joined by the light cruisers "Leip zig" from North America and "Dresden" from the Atlantic. On Sept. 15 Craddock was ordered to concentrate his force upon the Falkland Islands and was promised reinforcements. He heard on Sept. 26 that the "Dresden" was off Chile and it was by then cer tain that South America was von Spee's destination. By Oct. 22 Craddock had collected his ships at the Falkland Islands and he then searched round the Horn, leaving the old and slow battleship "Canopus" to join him through the Magellan Straits. Meanwhile von Spee had arrived off Valparaiso and was cruising off the coast.
Coronel and the Falkland Islands Battles.—Craddock, after rounding the Horn, continued his search to the north and sent the light cruiser "Glasgow" into Coronel. Von Spee hearing of her at that port on Oct. 31, turned south to cut her off. Crad dock, having heard the "Leipzig's" wireless, was searching for her on his way north. Neither admiral was aware of the proximity of the other until they met on the evening of Nov. 1, and the battle of Coronel (q.v.) was fought. The cruisers "Good Hope" and "Monmouth" were sunk and the other British ships made their escape and returned to the Falkland Islands. Von Spee, after his victory, paid a visit to Valparaiso and then sailed south to St. Quintin Bay, about 30o miles north of the Magellan Straits.