8 December 1914
A British battlecrusier squadron defeats Admiral von Spee's cruiser squadron (Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Nürnberg, Leipzig and Dresden), avenging the earlier British defeat at the Battle of Coronel. Four of von Spee's four cruisers are sunk during the battle and the fifth is later hunted down. The first shots of the battle were fired by the 12in guns of the battleship HMS Canopus, which had been beached to improve her accuracy. The British battlecruisers focused on von Spee's main ships. SMS Leipzig was sunk by the cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Glasgow. Only the Dresden escaped, but she too was caught in March 1915.
HMS Bristol is taking on coal when the battle starts, and takes too long to get started to take part. Instead she is sent after the slower German coalers.
How to cite this article: Rickard, J (28 December 2007), 8 December 1914 , http://www.historyofwar.org/firstworldwar/daybyday/1914_12_08.html