Towards the latter part of August, the armed merchant cruiser _Carmania_ (Captain Noel Grant) was sent out to join Admiral Cradock's squadron with coal, provisions, and a large quantity of frozen meat, which was sadly needed. She was ordered by him to assist the _Cornwall_ in watching Pernambuco on September 11th, as it was thought that the German storeship _Patagonia_ was going to put to sea on September 11th to join the _Karlsruhe_. On her way south she got orders to search Trinidad Island in the South Atlantic to find out whether the Germans were making use of it as a coaling base, and there fell in with the German armed liner _Cap Trafalgar_, which she sank in a very gallant action that is described in a subsequent chapter. The armed merchant cruiser _Edinburgh Castle_ (Captain W. R. Napier) was sent out from England with drafts of seamen and boys, as well as provisions and stores for our men-of-war in these waters. On her arrival at the base on October 12th, she was detained on service to assist in the sweep that had been organised to search for the _Karlsruhe_. Some of us have pleasant recollections of excellent games of deck hockey played on the spacious promenade deck during her all too short stay with us. The _Defence_ (Captain E. La T. Leatham) touched at the base to coal on October 27th, being on her way south to join Admiral Cradock's southern command. She had to coal in bad weather, and perforated the collier's side in doing so, but succeeded in completing with coal in the minimum possible time under difficult conditions. Without loss of time she proceeded to Montevideo, but never got any farther, as it was there that the news of the Coronel disaster first reached her. Admiral Cradock hoped to find von Spee before the German light-cruisers _Dresden_ and _Leipzig_ joined the main squadron; but he also was most anxious to wait for the _Defence_. She would have made a very powerful addition to his squadron, and it seems a thousand pities that it was not possible to effect this junction before he quitted the eastern shores of South America for the Pacific. The _Defence_ was very unlucky, and had a great deal of hard work without any kudos; not till Admiral Sturdee's arrival did she leave to join the _Minotaur_ on the Cape of Good Hope station, and the very day she arrived there got the news of the Falkland Islands battle! Having covered 23,000 miles in two and a half months, the disappointment at having missed that fight was, of course, intense. It is sad to think that few of her gallant crew are alive to-day, as she was afterwards sunk in the battle of Jutland. The _Invincible_, flagship of Vice-Admiral F. C. Doveton Sturdee (Captain P. H. Beamish), the _Inflexible_ (Captain R. F. Phillimore, C.B., M.V.O.), and the _Kent_ (Captain J. D. Allen) enter the scene of operations later. CHAPTER IV LIFE AT SEA IN 1914