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Christopher Cradock
Sir Christopher George Francis Maurice Cradock (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, serving with distinction. Cradock was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1910 and was awarded the KVCO 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.
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