The story of the fight is simple enough. Admiral Cradock formed his ships in line with _Good Hope_ leading, then _Monmouth_, then _Glasgow_. _Otranto_ he ordered away as soon as battle became imminent, and _Glasgow_ shortly afterwards. Von Spee criticizes the British Admiral for not attacking the two armoured cruisers during the half hour that elapsed between the formation of the Fleet while _Nürnberg_ and _Dresden_ were coming up full speed to join the line. At 6:30 the two lines were on nearly parallel and southerly courses at a distance of about 14,700 yards. Twenty minutes later Von Spee had closed the range about 1,200 yards, and he then altered course a point towards the enemy, and this, in a quarter of an hour, brought the range to about 11,000 yards. He then opened fire and, five minutes later, got his first hit with a salvo on _Good Hope_. He had the best of the light, and it was obvious to him that the British gunnery suffered more from the heavy seas than did his own. As in neither squadron could any but the upper-deck guns be used, the Germans had an overwhelmingly superior armament in action--their twelve 8-inch guns having nothing opposed to them except the two 9:2 of _Good Hope_ and the upper-deck 6-inch guns of _Good Hope_ and _Monmouth_. Inferior metal and the more difficult conditions soon told their tale. In the quarter of an hour during which the German Admiral closed the range from 11,000 yards to less than 7,000, he says “both the British cruisers were practically covered by the German fire, whereas _Scharnhorst_ was hit only twice, and _Gneisenau_ only four times.” The German Admiral now sheered off, and it looks as if Admiral Cradock had then begun to close. An English account supposes that _Good Hope_ was drifting and not under control. Anyhow, the range, in spite of the German change of course, was reduced by another 1,200 yards, and the Germans thought that the British Admiral contemplated a torpedo attack. About fifty minutes after the action commenced there was an enormous explosion in _Good Hope_ which had been on fire some time. The people in _Glasgow_ for a time thought it was the German flagship that had gone, so short had the range become. Neither of our armoured cruisers fired after this, and the Germans seem to have lost sight of _Good Hope_ altogether, in spite of her proximity. _Monmouth_, listing badly and on fire, turned to keep bows on to the sea, and Von Spee sent his light cruisers in pursuit of her. She kept her flag flying to the last and was sunk, an hour and a half after _Good Hope_ blew up, by a short range attack by _Nürnberg_.