# Christopher Cradock
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{{Short description|British Admiral of the Royal Navy (1862–1914)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [Rear-Admiral](/source/Rear_admiral_(Royal_Navy)) Sir
|name = Christopher Cradock
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCVO|CB|SGM}}
|birth_date = 2 July 1862
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1914|11|1|1862|7|2|df=y}}
|birth_place = [Hartforth](/source/Hartforth), [North Yorkshire](/source/North_Yorkshire), England
|death_place = {{HMS|Good Hope|1901|6}}, off [Coronel, Chile](/source/Coronel%2C_Chile)
|image = Christopher Cradock.jpg
|caption =
|allegiance = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom)
|branch = 23px [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy)
|service_years = 1875–1914
|rank = [Rear-Admiral](/source/Rear-Admiral_(Royal_Navy))
|commands = {{HMS|Alacrity|1885|6}}
{{HMS|Andromeda|1897|6}}
{{HMS|Bacchante|1901|6}}
{{HMS|Leviathan|1901|6}}
{{HMS|Swiftsure|1903|6}}
[Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth](/source/HMNB_Portsmouth)
[North America and West Indies Station](/source/North_America_and_West_Indies_Station)
|unit =
|battles = [Boxer Rebellion](/source/Boxer_Rebellion)
* [Battle of the Taku Forts (1900)](/source/Battle_of_the_Taku_Forts_(1900))
[World War I](/source/World_War_I)
* [Naval campaign](/source/Naval_warfare_of_World_War_I)
** [Atlantic Ocean campaign](/source/Naval_warfare_of_World_War_I)
*** [Battle of Coronel](/source/Battle_of_Coronel) {{KIA}}
|awards = [Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Royal_Victorian_Order)
[Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath)
[Order of the Crown](/source/Order_of_the_Crown_(Prussia)) (Prussia)
}}
[Rear-Admiral](/source/Rear_Admiral_(Royal_Navy)) '''Sir Christopher George Francis Maurice Cradock''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCVO|CB|SGM}} (2 July 1862 – 1 November 1914) was an English senior officer of the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy). He earned a reputation for great gallantry.[{{cite ODNB |last1=Halpern |first1=Paul G. |title=Cradock, Sir Christopher George Francis Maurice (1862–1914), naval officer {{!}} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32607 |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/32607 |access-date=29 June 2019 |language=en}}] He joined the Royal Navy's cadet [training ship](/source/training_ship) {{HMS|Britannia|1860|6}} on 15 January 1875 and was appointed to the armoured [corvette](/source/corvette) {{HMS|Pallas|1865|6}} of the [Mediterranean Station](/source/Mediterranean_Fleet) on 22 December 1876. Cradock was promoted to [midshipman](/source/midshipman) on 22 December 1877 and was present when the British occupied the [island of Cyprus](/source/Cyprus_Convention) the following year. He was transferred to the [ironclad](/source/ironclad) {{HMS|Minotaur|1863|6}} on 25 July 1879 and then to the corvette {{HMS|Cleopatra|1878|6}} on the [China Station](/source/China_Station) on 24 August 1880. Promoted to acting [sub-lieutenant](/source/sub-lieutenant) on 21 December 1881, Cradock returned to England on 6 March 1882 to prepare for his lieutenant's exams which he passed a year later. His rank confirmed, he then passed gunnery and [torpedo](/source/torpedo) courses later in 1883.[{{cite web |title=Christopher George Francis Maurice Cradock |url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Christopher_George_Francis_Maurice_Cradock |website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org |access-date=15 February 2019}}][Dunn, pp. 9–14]
Cradock was assigned to the ironclad {{HMS|Superb|1875|6}} in the Mediterranean after completing his courses and in 1884 was assigned to the [naval brigade](/source/naval_brigade) which had been formed for service during the [Mahdist War](/source/Mahdist_War). After serving in a support role during the war, he returned to his ship[Dunn, pp. 16–17, 214] where he was promoted to [lieutenant](/source/lieutenant_(Royal_Navy)) on 30 June 1885.[ Cradock was then appointed to the [gunboat](/source/gunboat) {{HMS|Linnet|1880|6}} as her [first lieutenant](/source/First_lieutenant) and remained there until he was placed on [half-pay](/source/half-pay) on 9 May 1889. He was briefly recalled to active duty aboard the new battleship {{HMS|Howe|1885|6}} to help during her [shakedown cruise](/source/shakedown_cruise) and to prepare her for the [fleet review](/source/Fleet_review_(Commonwealth_realms)) in [Spithead](/source/Spithead) in August. Cradock then spent a year on the corvette {{HMS|Volage|1869|6}}, assigned to the Training Squadron. During this time, he published his first book, ''Sporting Notes from the East'', about the shooting of [game](/source/Game_(hunting)).][Dunn, pp. 17–18]
On 6 September 1890, Cradock was appointed first lieutenant of the [sloop-of-war](/source/sloop-of-war) {{HMS|Dolphin|1882|6}} which arrived in the [Red Sea](/source/Red_Sea) shortly afterwards. The Mahdist War had flared up again and the British formed the Eastern Sudan Field Force around the garrison at [Suakin](/source/Suakin), on [Sudan](/source/Sudan)'s Red Sea coast. Cradock was assigned to the force in 1891 and participated in the capture of [Tokar](/source/Tokar%2C_Sudan). He then became [aide-de-camp](/source/aide-de-camp) to Colonel Charles Holled Smith, Governor-General of the Red Sea Littoral and Commandant, Suakin. For his service in this campaign, he was awarded the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire)'s [Order of the Medjidie](/source/Order_of_the_Medjidie), 4th Class and the [Khedive's Star](/source/Khedive's_Star) with the Tokar Clasp. After returning to ''Dolphin'', Cradock helped to rescue the crew of the {{ship|Brazilian cruiser|Almirante Barroso|1882|6}}, which was wrecked on the coast of the Red Sea near [Ras Zeith](/source/Ras_Zeith) on 21 May 1893 during an around-the-world cadet cruise.[Dunn, pp. 18–19]
After a brief time on half-pay and another gunnery course, Cradock was appointed to the [royal yacht](/source/royal_yacht) {{ship|HMY|Victoria and Albert|1855|2}} on 31 August 1894 and published his second book, ''Wrinkles in Seamanship, or, Help to a Salt Horse''. He served as a [pallbearer](/source/pallbearer) at the funeral of [Prince Henry of Battenberg](/source/Prince_Henry_of_Battenberg) on 5 February 1896. Promoted to [commander](/source/commander) on 31 August, he became the [second-in-command](/source/second-in-command) of HMS ''Britannia''. Before the beginning of the [Second Boer War](/source/Second_Boer_War) in October 1899, Cradock was briefly transferred to the drill ship {{HMS|President|1829|2}} to serve as a transport officer, supervising the loading of troops and supplies for [South Africa](/source/South_Africa), and was reduced to half-pay before the end of the year.[Dunn, pp. 19, 23, 25–27]
===Command and flag rank===
On 1 February 1900 he was appointed in command of the third-class [cruiser](/source/cruiser) {{HMS|Alacrity|1885|6}},[{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=31 January 1900 |page=8 |issue=36053}}] which was posted later that year to the China Station during the [Boxer Rebellion](/source/Boxer_Rebellion). He commanded a mixture of British, German and Japanese sailors during the [capture of the Taku forts](/source/Battle_of_Dagu_Forts_(1900)) on 17 June, led a contingent of British and Italian sailors into the [Tientsin](/source/Battle_of_Tientsin) on 23 June, and then led the naval brigade that relieved [Vice-Admiral](/source/Vice-Admiral_(Royal_Navy)) [Edward Seymour](/source/Edward_Seymour_(Royal_Navy_officer))'s troops besieged in the Pei-yang Arsenal three days later. Cradock was promoted to [captain](/source/Captain_(Royal_Navy)) effective 18 April 1901 and also received the [Prussian Order of the Crown](/source/Order_of_the_Crown_(Prussia)), 2nd Class with swords as a result of his actions. ''Alacrity'' arrived back in Britain in July 1901 and Cradock was placed on half-pay.[Dunn, pp. 30–33]
On 24 March 1902 he was posted to the [protected cruiser](/source/protected_cruiser) {{HMS|Andromeda|1897|6}} on the Mediterranean Station, where from June that year he served as [flag captain](/source/flag_captain) to Rear-Admiral [Sir Baldwin Wake Walker](/source/Baldwin_Wake_Walker%2C_2nd_Baronet), who commanded the fleet's cruiser squadron.[{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=25 March 1902 |page=9 |issue=36724}}] Cradock was appointed a [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) on 26 June.[{{cite news |title=The London Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27448/supplement/4189 |access-date=16 February 2019 |issue=Supplement: 27448 |date=26 June 1902 |page=4189}}] He assumed command of the armoured cruiser {{HMS|Bacchante|1901|6}} on 20 December as Wake Walker shifted his flag to the ship, and ''Andromeda'' returned home.[{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=3 January 1903 |page=6 |issue=36968}}][Dunn, p. 53] When [King Edward VII](/source/King_Edward_VII) visited [Malta](/source/Malta) on 2 June 1903, he appointed Cradock a [Member of the Royal Victorian Order](/source/Member_of_the_Royal_Victorian_Order).[{{cite news |title=The London Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27560/page/3525 |access-date=16 February 2019 |issue=27560 |date=2 June 1903 |page=3525}}] Off the coast of [Sardinia](/source/Sardinia), Cradock saved Prince [Vudhijaya Chalermlabha](/source/Vudhijaya_Chalermlabha), then serving as a midshipman in the Royal Navy, from drowning in April 1904. After the [Dogger Bank Incident](/source/Dogger_Bank_Incident), Wake Walker commanded the cruisers, including ''Bacchante'', shadowing the Russian [Baltic Fleet](/source/Baltic_Fleet) as it steamed through the Mediterranean in October en route to the [Far East](/source/Far_East). On 17 January 1905, Cradock assumed command of the armoured cruiser {{HMS|Leviathan|1901|6}}, but was invalided home on 17 June. He was on sick leave until September and was then placed on half-pay.[{{cite web |title=H.M.S. Leviathan (1901) |url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/H.M.S._Leviathan_(1901) |website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org |access-date=16 February 2019}}][Dunn, pp. 56–57]
Cradock became [captain](/source/captain_(nautical)) of the battleship {{HMS|Swiftsure|1903|6}} on 17 July 1906 and was relieved on 6 August 1908,[ publishing his last book, ''Whispers from the Fleet'', in 1907. During this time the Royal Navy was riven by the feud between the reforming [First Sea Lord](/source/First_Sea_Lord), Admiral [Jackie Fisher](/source/John_Fisher%2C_1st_Baron_Fisher) and the traditionalist Admiral [Lord Charles Beresford](/source/Lord_Charles_Beresford) and their followers.][Dunn, pp. 68, 76–78] While Cradock's position on the issues dividing the navy are not positively known, a passage from ''Whispers from the Fleet'' may offer a clue: "... we require – and quickly too – some strong Imperial body of men who will straightway choke the irrepressible utterings of a certain class of individuals who, to their shame, are endeavouring to break down the complete loyalty and good comradeship that now exists in the service between the officers and the men; and who are also willing to commit the heinous crime of trifling with the sacred laws of naval discipline".[Quoted in Dunn, pp. 78–79] After leaving command, he was again put on half-pay. He was appointed Naval Aide-de-Camp to Edward VII in February 1909 although he remained on half-pay. On 1 July Cradock was appointed in command of the [Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth](/source/HMNB_Portsmouth) and promoted to [Commodore second class](/source/Commodore_second_class) while retaining his duties as aide-de-camp. Edward VII died on 6 May 1910 and Cradock stayed on until the end of October to assist his newly crowned son, King [George V](/source/George_V).[Dunn, pp. 67–69, 76–79]
In the meantime he had been promoted to rear-admiral on 24 August 1910, and was relieved of his command in October. Still on half-pay Cradock reported to the [Royal Hospital Haslar](/source/Royal_Hospital_Haslar) on 24 February 1911 with [kidney](/source/kidney) troubles and discharged himself on 7 March to attend a staff course at the [Royal Naval War College](/source/Royal_Naval_War_College) at Portsmouth that lasted until 23 June. He came in sixth out of seven students, and was noted as "very attentive, but sick 1/3 of the term". On the 24th Cradock escorted visitors aboard a merchant ship to the [Coronation Fleet Review](/source/Coronation_of_King_George_V_and_Queen_Mary) at Spithead. He became second-in-command of the Atlantic Fleet on 29 August, hoisting his flag aboard the [predreadnought battleship](/source/predreadnought_battleship) {{HMS|London|1899|6}}. When the [ocean liner](/source/ocean_liner) {{SS|Delhi}} [ran aground](/source/Ship_grounding) during the night of 12/13 December near [Cape Spartel](/source/Cape_Spartel), [Morocco](/source/Morocco), smashing all of her [lifeboat](/source/lifeboat_(shipboard))s, Cradock was ordered to take ''London'' and the armoured cruiser {{HMS|Duke of Edinburgh||6}} to rescue the survivors in heavy seas. It took five days to get all of the passengers and crewmen off the ship, including [Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife](/source/Alexander_Duff%2C_1st_Duke_of_Fife), his wife, the [Princess Royal](/source/Louise%2C_Princess_Royal_and_Duchess_of_Fife), and the king's granddaughters. In recognition of his efforts, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 28 February 1912[Dunn, pp. 88–92] and later awarded the [Sea Gallantry Medal](/source/Sea_Gallantry_Medal).[
[[File:HMS Hibernia first ship aircraft takeoff 1912 IWM Q 71041.jpg|thumb|left|The first take-off by an aeroplane from a moving ship, 2 May 1912. ''Hibernia''{{'}}s bow and [flying-off ramp](/source/Flight_deck) at bottom left.]]
In May Cradock shifted his flag to the predreadnought battleship {{HMS|Hibernia|1905|6}} where he took charge of experiments that the RN was conducting with launching aircraft from ships. Commander [Charles Samson](/source/Charles_Rumney_Samson) had already flown off from ''Hibernia''{{'}}s [sister ship](/source/sister_ship) {{HMS|Africa|1905|6}} while anchored earlier and she transferred her flying-off equipment to ''Hibernia'', including a runway constructed over her [forecastle](/source/forecastle) above her forward 12-inch turret that stretched from her [bridge](/source/bridge_(nautical)) to her [bows](/source/bow_(watercraft)). Samson took off from ''Hibernia'' in his [Short Improved S.27](/source/Short_Improved_S.27) [biplane](/source/biplane) while the ship steamed at {{convert|10.5|kn}} in front of George V at the Royal Fleet Review in [Weymouth Bay](/source/Weymouth_Bay) on 9 May, the first person to take off from a moving ship. Cradock hauled down his flag on 29 August and went on half-pay.][Dunn, pp. 92, 94]
On 8 February 1913, he was given command of the [4th Cruiser Squadron](/source/4th_Cruiser_Squadron), formerly the [North America and West Indies Station](/source/North_America_and_West_Indies_Station) (the main base remaining the [Royal Naval Dockyard](/source/Royal_Naval_Dockyard%2C_Bermuda) and the [Admiralty House](/source/Admiralty_House%2C_Bermuda) at the North Atlantic [Imperial fortress](/source/Imperial_fortress) [colony](/source/British_Overseas_Territory) of [Bermuda](/source/Bermuda), and hoisted his flag in the armoured cruisers {{HMS|Donegal|1902|6}} then to {{HMS|Suffolk|1903|6}}.[ His orders from the Admiralty were to protect British lives and property during the ongoing Mexican Revolution, but to avoid any action that could be construed as British interference in internal Mexican affairs. The British [Minister](/source/Diplomatic_rank) to Mexico, [Sir Lionel Carden](/source/Lionel_Edward_Gresley_Carden) strongly disagreed with the official policy and argued for some sort of intervention. The situation was further confused by American suspicion of British actions, believing that the [Monroe Doctrine](/source/Monroe_Doctrine) meant that the Americans alone could intervene in Mexico.][Dunn, pp. 96–98]
Together with the American Rear Admiral [Frank Friday Fletcher](/source/Frank_Friday_Fletcher), Cradock coordinated the evacuation of British and American citizens from [Tampico](/source/Tampico), Mexico, when that city was threatened by rebels.[Dunn, p. 97] He then transferred his flag to {{HMS|Essex|1901|6}} on 18 February 1914 and sailed to [Galveston](/source/Galveston), [Texas](/source/Texas), where he arrived at the end of the month.[Transcript] There he visited some of the refugees and was feted by the Americans, including a visit with the [Governor of Texas](/source/Governor_of_Texas), [Oscar Colquitt](/source/Oscar_Branch_Colquitt) before returning to Mexican waters. Cradock was in Tampico, when the Mexican Army briefly [arrested nine American sailors](/source/Tampico_Affair) who were purchasing petrol in the city on 9 April. Rear Admiral [Henry T. Mayo](/source/Henry_T._Mayo), commander of the American forces off-shore, demanded an apology, but the Mexican government refused. The incident contributed to the American decision to [occupy Veracruz](/source/United_States_occupation_of_Veracruz) on 21 April. Cradock was able to evacuate some 1,500 refugees from Tampico, [Mexico City](/source/Mexico_City) and Veracruz without incident.[Dunn, pp. 99–101]
===First World War===
thumb|left|Having flown his flag in HMS ''Suffolk'', Cradock transferred to the armoured cruiser HMS ''Good Hope'' (pictured) in late August 1914
When the preliminary warning of war with [Germany](/source/German_Empire) reached Cradock on 27 July, there were two German [light cruiser](/source/light_cruiser)s in his area. The brand-new {{SMS|Karlsruhe}} had just arrived to replace {{SMS|Dresden|1907|6}}. Cradock dispersed his cruisers to find and track the German ships, but the Admiralty was concerned about the presence of numerous ocean liners in [New York](/source/New_York_City) that could be converted into [armed merchant cruisers](/source/Armed_merchantman), so they ordered him to concentrate three of his cruisers off New York harbour. He sent two of his ships northwards and followed them in ''Suffolk'' before the declaration of war on 4 August.[Corbett, pp. 45–47]
On the morning of 6 August, ''Suffolk'' spotted ''Karlsruhe'' in the process of transferring guns and equipment to the liner {{SS|Kronprinz Wilhelm}} about {{convert|120|nmi|abbr=on}} north of [Watling Island](/source/Watling_Island). The two German ships quickly departed in different directions. ''Suffolk'' followed ''Karlsruhe'', and Craddock ordered the light cruiser {{HMS|Bristol|1910|2}} to intercept her. ''Karlsruhe''{{'}}s faster speed allowed her to quickly outpace ''Suffolk'', but ''Bristol'' caught her that evening and fruitlessly fired at her before the German ship disengaged in the darkness. Craddock had anticipated her manoeuvres and continued eastwards, but ''Karlsruhe'' was almost out of coal and had slowed down to her most economical speed and passed behind ''Suffolk'' the following morning without being spotted before putting into [Puerto Rico](/source/Puerto_Rico) with only {{convert|12|LT|t|0}} of coal remaining.[Corbett, pp. 47–50]
Cradock continued northward in obedience to his orders and, after rendezvousing with the newly arrived armoured cruiser {{HMS|Good Hope|1901|6}} in [Halifax](/source/Halifax%2C_Nova_Scotia), transferred his flag to her because she was faster than ''Suffolk''. ''Dresden'' was ordered to rendezvous with the [East Asia Squadron](/source/East_Asia_Squadron) under Vice-Admiral [Graf](/source/Graf) [Maximilian von Spee](/source/Maximilian_von_Spee) in the Pacific. ''Karlsruhe'' was sent to intercept Allied merchantmen off the north-eastern coast of Brazil. So the reported losses of shipping showed both ships moving south. In response, the Admiralty ordered Cradock southward on 22 August, put him in command of the South American Station the following month, and reinforcing his fleet with the elderly and slow pre-dreadnought battleship {{HMS|Canopus|1897|6}}.[Corbett, pp. 51, 258–264] ''Good Hope'' was coaled at the [Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda](/source/Royal_Naval_Dockyard%2C_Bermuda) (by [Bermuda Militia Artillery](/source/Bermuda_Militia_Artillery) gunners assisting with coaling).[{{cite report |publisher=British Army |title=Record of Service of the Bermuda Militia Artillery |quote=B.M.A. at Ireland Island did good work assisting in coaling warships during the first six months of mobilization and received the thanks of the Admiralty (Having coaled the "Good Hope" on her last a fatal trip.) |postscript=Blank Army Book 127. Issued from Army Forms Stores 17 September 1895. Last entry 1952-12-17}}]
On 14 September, Cradock received new orders from the Admiralty. They apprised him that the East Asia Squadron was probably heading for either the west coast of South America or the [Strait of Magellan](/source/Strait_of_Magellan). He was to detach sufficient force to deal with ''Dresden'' and ''Karlsruhe'' while concentrating his remaining ships to meet the Germans, using [Port Stanley](/source/Port_Stanley) in the [Falkland Islands](/source/Falkland_Islands) to re-coal. To achieve this aim, he was to be reinforced by the modern armoured cruiser {{HMS|Defence|1907|6}} arriving from the Mediterranean. Until she arrived, Cradock was to keep ''Canopus'' and one {{Sclass|Monmouth|cruiser|2}} with his flagship, ''Good Hope''. Once he had superior force, he was to search for and destroy the German cruisers and break up German trade on the west coast, while remaining prepared to fall back and cover the [River Plate](/source/R%C3%ADo_de_la_Plata) area.[Corbett, p. 309]
The day that the Admiralty issued this order, the East Asia Squadron appeared at [occupied German Samoa](/source/Occupation_of_German_Samoa). Noting this apparent movement to the west, and the continuing depredations of the light cruiser {{SMS|Emden}} in the [Bay of Bengal](/source/Bay_of_Bengal), the Admiralty concluded that von Spee meant to rendezvous with ''Emden'' in the southwestern Pacific, and cancelled the transfer of ''Defence'' to Cradock's command.[Corbett, pp. 290–291] Two days later, the Admiralty messaged Cradock that von Spee was moving away from South America, and that he should search the southwestern coast of South America for German ships without worrying about keeping his ships concentrated. But they failed to inform him that ''Defence'' would not now be sent to him.[Corbett, pp. 309–310]
By late September, it had become clear that ''Dresden'' had passed into the Pacific Ocean. Cradock's ships fruitlessly searched several different anchorages in the area of [Tierra del Fuego](/source/Tierra_del_Fuego), and returned to Port Stanley to re-coal on 3 October. Based on [intercepted radio signals](/source/Signals_intelligence), the Admiralty decided that the East Asia Squadron was probably headed east, and so advised him two days later, although he did not receive the message until 7 October.[Corbett, pp. 310–315]
===The Hunt for the East Asia Squadron===
By late October Cradock had reliable intelligence that the East Asia Squadron had reached the western coast of South America. Cradock's fleet was significantly weaker than Spee's, mainly consisting of elderly vessels manned by largely inexperienced crews. However, the orders he received from the Admiralty were ambiguous; although they were meant to make him concentrate his ships on the old battleship ''Canopus'', Cradock interpreted them as instructing him to seek and engage the enemy forces. Clarifying instructions from the Admiralty were not issued until 3 November, by which time the battle had already been fought.[Halpern, pp. 91–92]
====Battle of Coronel====
[[File:Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock.jpg|thumb|Monument to Sir Christopher Cradock in [York Minster](/source/York_Minster)]]
Cradock found Spee's force off [Chile](/source/Chile) in the late afternoon of 1 November, and decided to engage, starting the [Battle of Coronel](/source/Battle_of_Coronel). As it was useless for anything other than searching, he sent the [armed merchant cruiser](/source/armed_merchant_cruiser) ''Otranto'' away. He tried to close the range immediately to engage with his shorter-ranged six-inch guns and so that the enemy would have the setting sun in their eyes, but von Spee kept the range open until dusk, when the British cruisers were silhouetted in the afterglow, while his ships were hidden by darkness. Heavily disadvantaged because the high seas had rendered the main-deck six-inch guns on ''Good Hope'' and {{HMS|Monmouth|1901|6}} unusable, and with partially trained crews, Cradock's two armoured cruisers were destroyed with the loss of all 1,660 lives, including his own; the light cruiser {{HMS|Glasgow|1909|2}} managed to escape. This battle was the first defeat of the Royal Navy in a naval action in more than a hundred years.[Dunn, p. 152; Halpern, p. 93]
Departing from Port Stanley he had left behind a letter to be forwarded to Admiral [Hedworth Meux](/source/Hedworth_Meux) in the event of his death. In this he commented that he did not intend to suffer the fate of Rear-Admiral [Ernest Troubridge](/source/Ernest_Troubridge), who had been court-martialled in August for failing to engage the enemy despite the odds being severely against him, during the [pursuit of the German warships ''Goeben'' and ''Breslau''](/source/Pursuit_of_Goeben_and_Breslau). The Governor of the Falklands and the Governor's aide both reported that Cradock had not expected to survive.[Massie, pp. 219–221]
A monument to Cradock, sculpted by [F. W. Pomeroy](/source/F._W._Pomeroy), was placed in [York Minster](/source/York_Minster) on 16 June 1916.[Dunn, pp. 180–181] It is on the east side of the north transept towards the Chapter House entrance. There is another monument to Cradock in [Catherington](/source/Catherington) churchyard, Hampshire. There is a monument and a stained glass window in Cradock's memory in his parish church at [Gilling West](/source/Gilling_West).[{{cite web |last1=Webster |first1=Dave |title=HMS Good Hope |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/davewebster14/5500001706/in/set-72157625002677205/ |website=Flickr |access-date=30 May 2019 |date=5 March 2011}}] Having no known grave, he is commemorated by the [Commonwealth War Graves Commission](/source/Commonwealth_War_Graves_Commission) on Portsmouth Naval Memorial.[{{cite web |title=Search Results |url=https://www.cwgc.org/search-results?term=cradock%2Bchristopher&name=cradock%2Bchristopher&fullname=cradock%2Bchristopher |website=www.cwgc.org |publisher=Commonwealth War Graves Commission |access-date=30 May 2019}}] In Portsmouth, VA, USA a neighborhood was named for Adm. Cradock in 1917. Also named for Adm. Cradock was a high school in the Cradock neighborhood from 1917 until 1992. The neighborhood still exists and is still called Cradock. There is still a Cradock Middle School. The neighborhood and schools were named in honor of Adm. Cradock for his assistance to U.S. Naval forces during the Mexican Revolution.
== Personal life ==
Cradock never married, but kept a dog which accompanied him at sea. He commented that he would choose to die either during an accident while hunting (his favourite pastime), or during action at sea.[Massie, pp. 218–219]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian|author-link=Julian Corbett|title=Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands|edition=2nd, reprint of the 1938|series=History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents|volume=I|publisher=Imperial War Museum and Battery Press|location=London and Nashville, Tennessee|isbn=0-89839-256-X|date=March 1997}}
*{{cite book |last1=Dunn |first1=Steve R. |title=The Scapegoat: The Life and Tragedy of a Fighting Admiral and Churchill's Role in his Death |date=2014 |publisher=The Book Guild |location=Sussex, UK |isbn=978-1-84624-971-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Halpern|first=Paul S.|title=A Naval History of World War I|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1994|isbn=1-55750-352-4}}
* {{cite book|title=Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea |last=Massie|first=Robert K.|author-link=Robert K. Massie|publisher=Random House|year=2003|location= New York|isbn=0-679-45671-6|title-link=Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-05-HMS_Essex.htm|title=Transcript: HMS Essex – January 1914 to August 1916, 4th Cruiser Squadron West Atlantic, North America & West Indies Station, 9th Cruiser Squadron Atlantic (Canary Islands)|work=Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era|publisher=Naval-History.net|access-date=18 February 2019}}
==Further reading==
{{Commons }}
* {{cite book|first=Christopher|last=Cradock |title=Sporting Notes in the Far East|year=1889|url=https://archive.org/details/sportingnotesinf00cradrich | publisher =Griffith Farran Okeden & Welsh}}
* {{cite book|first=Christopher|last=Cradock |title=Wrinkles in Seamanship: A Help to "Salt Horse," and a Book on the Groundwork of Seamanship for the use of Sailors|year=1894|publisher=J. Griffin & Co.}}
* {{cite book|first=Christopher|last=Cradock |title=Whispers from the Fleet |year=1908|url=https://archive.org/details/whispersfromflee00cradiala|location=London | publisher=Gieve's}}
* {{Cite news| newspaper=[The Times](/source/The_Times) |title= Good Hope Sunk |issue=40689 |pages=9 |date=7 November 1914}}
* {{Cite news| newspaper=[The Times](/source/The_Times) |title= The late Admiral Cradock|issue=40696 |pages=11 |date=14 November 1914}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cradock, Christopher}}
Category:1862 births
Category:1914 deaths
Category:Captains who went down with the ship
Category:British sea captains
Category:Royal Navy admirals of World War I
Category:Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath
Category:British military personnel killed in World War I
Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Boxer Rebellion
Category:People from Richmond, North Yorkshire
Category:19th-century British writers
Category:20th-century English writers
Category:Recipients of the Sea Gallantry Medal
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Christopher Cradock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Cradock) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Cradock?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.