Christopher Cradock
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Sir Christopher George Francis Maurice Cradock, KCVO, CB, RN (2 July 1862 - 1 November 1914), was a British admiral.
He entered the Royal Navy, in 1875, and saw action in the Mediterranean and China (in the Boxer Rebellion), serving with distinction.
Cradock was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1910 and was awarded the KCVO in 1912. In 1913, he was given command of the North America and West Indies Station.
With the start of World War I, in August 1914, Cradock, commanding the 4th Squadron of the Royal Navy, was ordered to pursue and destroy Admiral Maximilian von Spee's fleet of commerce-raiding cruisers. Cradock's fleet was significantly weaker than Spee's, consisting of mainly elderly vessels manned by largely inexperienced crews.
Cradock found Spee's force off Chile and decided to engage it. In the resulting Battle of Coronel, Cradock's fleet was destroyed with heavy loss of life, including his own.
He was the author of three books, 'Sporting Notes in the Far East' (1889), 'Wrinkles in Seamanship' (1894), and 'Whispers From the Fleet' (1907).
A monument to Admiral Cradock was placed in York Minster. It is on the east side of the North Transept towards the Chapter House entrance.
