1914hms good hope longitude and latitude

Kurt .S

2 min read

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11-01-2025

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The HMS Good Hope, a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, tragically met its end during the Battle of Coronel in 1914. Pinpointing its exact longitude and latitude at the time of its sinking is difficult due to the chaotic nature of battle and the lack of precise, surviving records from that moment. However, we can approximate its final location using historical accounts and battle analyses.

Battle of Coronel Context

The Battle of Coronel took place off the coast of Chile on November 1, 1914. The Good Hope, along with other British ships, engaged the German East Asia Squadron under Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee. The battle resulted in a decisive German victory, with the Good Hope among the British vessels sunk.

Approximate Location

While an exact GPS coordinate for the Good Hope's final resting place is unavailable, historical sources place the battle approximately 30° South latitude and 74° West longitude. This is a broad area, and the ship's precise location at the moment of sinking within this region is uncertain. The wreck itself remains undiscovered.

Important Note: This is an approximate location of the battle. The Good Hope's specific position at the moment of sinking would vary slightly depending on the timing within the engagement. There's no surviving record from the ship giving its precise location just before it went down.

Why Precise Location is Difficult to Determine

Several factors contribute to the difficulty in determining the precise location:

• Chaos of Battle: The intense fighting during the Battle of Coronel made accurate record-keeping challenging. The focus was on survival and combat, not detailed position recording.
• Loss of the Ship: The sinking of the Good Hope resulted in the loss of many crew members and all onboard navigational records.
• Lack of Modern Technology: The technology available in 1914 for precise positioning was far less accurate than modern GPS systems.

Further Research

Researchers continue to study the Battle of Coronel, hoping to uncover more precise details about the individual ship locations during the engagement, including that of the Good Hope. Any additional information may emerge from future archival discoveries or underwater exploration.

Conclusion

While a precise longitude and latitude for the final moments of the HMS Good Hope remains elusive, the approximate location of the Battle of Coronel provides a reasonable estimate within the broader area of 30°S 74°W. The lack of precise data is a product of the circumstances surrounding its sinking during a violent naval battle in 1914.