On the evening of November 1 a British squadron consisting of the vessels _Good Hope_, _Otranto_, _Glasgow_, and _Monmouth_, all except the _Good Hope_ coming through the straits, sighted the enemy. The British ships lined up abreast and proceeded in a northeasterly direction. The Germans took up the same alignment eight miles to the westward of the British ships and proceeded southward at full speed. Both forces opened fire at a distance of 12,000 yards shortly after six o'clock off Coronel near the coast of Chile. The _Gneisenau_ was struck by a 9.2-inch shot from the _Good Hope_. The _Scharnhorst_ and _Gneisenau_ picked the _Good Hope_ as their first target, but finding that they could do no damage at that range and that they were safe from the fire of the British ship, they came to within 6,000 yards of her. Her fire in reply was augmented by that of the _Monmouth_. Excellent aim on the part of the Germans soon had the _Good Hope_ out of action, and fire broke out aboard her. Soon after general action her magazine exploded. The _Monmouth_ then received the brunt of the fire from the German ships, and came in for more than her share of the destructive fire, being put virtually out of action, and at the same time there occurred an explosion on board the _Good Hope_ and she sank immediately, carrying Admiral Cradock to his death. There remained of the British force only the _Otranto_--a converted liner and not really a battleship of the line--the _Glasgow_ and the hopelessly disabled _Monmouth_ to continue the fight with an efficient German force. The British commander ordered the former two to get away by making speed, but the officer in charge of the _Glasgow_, paying no heed to the order, kept in the fight. [Illustration: The famous German raider "Emden" beached on one of the Cocos Islands after being wrecked by the "Sydney's" shells.] Dusk was then coming on and the _Glasgow_ sought to take advantage of it by getting between the German ships and the limping _Monmouth_, concealing the latter from them with her smoke. But the Germans had now come to within 4,500 yards. To escape possible attack from torpedoes the German ships spread out their line, but perceiving that such a danger was not present, they again closed in to finish the crippled British ships. All of the German ships now went for the _Glasgow_, and she had to desert the _Monmouth_, which first sailed northward, in bad condition, and later made an attempt to run ashore at Santa Maria, but was unable to do so.