The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust is pleased to announce that the wreck of SMS Scharnhorst has been located off the Falkland Islands. The Scharnhorst, an armoured battle-cruiser and the flagship of Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee’s East Asia Squadron, was sunk on 8 December 1914 during the Battle of the Falkland Islands, a crucial naval battle in the early days of the First World War.
Falkland Islands elected government has announced the following program for Thursday 8th December 2016 to commemorate the victory of the Naval engagements of 8th December 1914, on which day 6 British sailors lost their lives and a number of others died later from injuries received during the battle. 2,260 German sailors also lost their lives.
Last December, in a spirit of remembrance and reconciliation, and in the presence of the descendants of the fighting admirals, the Falkland Islands commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Falklands, an action that sent six ships to the bottom and claimed well over 2000 lives.
Chilean foreign minister Jorge Burgos revealed this week that the presence of HMS Dragon in Valparaiso was authorized after having consulted with Argentina, and underlined that Chile strictly abides with what was agreed regarding the passage of British vessels through Chilean waters.
Interactive information technology providing details of how seamen lost their lives defending the Falkland Islands during the First World War will be unveiled at Stanley Cemetery in the capital on Monday 8 December.
UK ambassador in Chile Fiona Clouder underlined the values and qualities of the Royal Navy and Chilean Navy during a reception on HMS Dragon, which called at Valparaíso for the week long Exponaval 2014, considered the most important naval, maritime and ports' exhibition in the southern hemisphere.
Falklands have prepared a week's agenda of activities on the centenary commemoration of the Falkland Islands naval battle and the Islands contribution to the Great War, which will extend from this Friday until 12 December.
A commemorative service at the naval church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, near Trafalgar Square, in London and a reception has been organized by the Falkland Islands Association to commemorate the Battle of Coronel (Nov. 1, 1914) and Battle of the Falklands (Dec. 8, 1914).
British and German Embassies in Santiago organized a commemoration event to mark the 100 years of the Battle of Coronel, off the coast of Chile. A hundred years ago November first 1914, one of the first Naval battles of the First World War between the Royal Navy and the German Navy took place 50 miles off the coast of Coronel.