Description
On behalf of the Falkland Islands Government, Pobjoy Mint announced the release of a 2014 collectable coin which commemorates the Centenary of the Battle of the Falkland Islands.
Referred to as the most decisive naval battle of WWI, the Battle of the Falkland Islands gave the allies a much-needed surge of confidence on the seas which was especially important because other areas of the war such as Gallipoli, were not proceeding as hoped. The Battle also represented one of the last important instances of old-style naval warfare, between ships and sailors and their guns alone, without the aid or interference of airplanes, submarines or underwater minefields.
The design on the coin features the fast light cruiser HMS Glasgow, one of the key ships in the battle, surround by bomb water explosions and the date of the battle.
Available in Base metal, this bi-metallic coin features a couped effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Lord of Mann, by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.
In 1914 at the outset of World War I, the Falkland Islands was a strategic naval base that allowed the British Royal Navy to control the South Atlantic. A month after German naval forces inflicted the Royal Navy’s first defeat in a century by sinking two British cruisers with all hands, Admiral Maximilian von Spee, who led the German naval forces, brought his fleet close to British squadrons anchored in the Falkland Islands, confident he could outrun the British ships he saw in the port. Unbeknownst to the Germans, a British Squadron had arrived in the area the day before. The British were prepared and a mighty sea battle commenced which resulted in the loss of four German vessels and 1881 lives (1871 of which were German). The Royal Navy were ultimately victorious and the Falkland Islands safe once more.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.