A German light cruiser in action, probably at the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 8 December 1914

The only three- or four-funnelled warships with a platform on a pole foremast that was just below funnel-top height were German light cruisers of the 'Königsberg' and 'Dresden' classes. The only action in which ships of these classes, together with other German vessels, were engaged (i.e. not single-ship actions) was the Battle of the Falklands on 8 December 1914, in which the 'Nürnberg' (1906) was sunk and the 'Dresden' (1907) escaped. Although this sketch appears to show light cruisers rather than 'Scharnhorst' and 'Gneisenau' , it is probably a preliminary study for almost exactly the same composition showing them in action at the Falklands battle reproduced in Wyllie and W.F Wren's 'Sea Fights of the Great War' (1918) f. p. 102.

Object Details

ID: PAE3152
Collection: Fine art
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Wyllie, William Lionel
Date made: circa 1915
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Caird Collection
Measurements: 251 mm x 353 mm