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Bell recovered from the Dresden |
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Chile - Chilean and German divers have recovered the ship’s bell from the German cruiser
‘Dresden’, which was scuttled off Chile during World War I. In early December 1914, the Dresden was the only German cruiser to escape from the Battle of the Falklands when her turbine-engines were faster than the expansion-engines of the other ships in the fleet. The ship then ‘hid’ in the maze of channels and bays around Cape Horn in southern Chile. On March 8, the Dresden sailed into Cumberland Bay on the Chilean island of Más a Tierra where worn-out engines caused the ship to be non-operational. On March 14, 1915, British cruisers HMS Kent and HMS Glasgow found her and she was scuttled. The bell will be handed to the Chilean Navy for conservation before being flown to Germany to be exhibited. The wreck, which lies in about 60m (197ft) of water, is popular with recreational Scuba divers and is occasionally used by the Chilean Navy for diver training.
The Dresden was the least successful of the German cruisers that operated alone. |
