Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 88
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[Page 88]
Suddenly the look out man on the Scharnhorst reported that he could see tripod masts in the Harbour over the isthmus. Four tripod masts spell battleships or battle cruisers neither of which [Admiral] von Spee calculated on meeting but he knew that we could not have such big ships in those waters and was not disturbed and sent the man up aloft again to have another look. He little knew that since a few days after Coronel [Battle of Coronel, 1 Nov 1914 with British losses] two battle cruisers had been racing Southward in the Atlantic for his destruction to destroy him.
The signalman however again reported tripod masts. He was cursed for a fool and the Officer of the watch went up, he reported that he thought there were tripod masts and was still not believed - the Gunnery lieutenant went up and said there were tripod masts inside and the Germans thoroughly alarmed now turned away. But it was too late for our ships had long since descried the Huns and had raced full steam and set out in pursuit. The sinking of the big German ships who could not get away for lack of speed and the famous chase by the Kent of the Nurnburg and Leipzig during which she threw all her woodwork into the furnaces to increase her speed have already become historic; at any rate before darkness fell all the German fleet except the Dresden lay at the bottom. [The Battle of the Falkland Islands, 8 Dec. 1914]
From the Scharnhorst no one was rescued as she sank during the heat of the action but from the Leipzig and Nurnburg a few survivors were gathered.