the signal "Enemy in sight" and the light cruiser repeated the message at 07:56, but Invincibles crew was busy loading coal and did not spot the signal. Luce ordered a saluting gun fired to focus attention on the signal. Glasgow had completed coaling at 08:00, but needed time to finish raising steam. The Germans were driven off by shells fired by Canopus when they came within range around 09:20. Glasgow cleared the harbour by 09:45 and was ordered by Sturdee to trail Spee's ships, keeping out of range, and to inform him of their actions. The last of the British ships left the harbor by 10:30 and Sturdee ordered "General chase". The battlecruisers were the fastest ships present and inexorably began to close on the German ships. They opened fire at 12:55 and started near-missing Leipzig, the rear ship in the German formation, 15 minutes later. It was clear to Spee that his ships could not outrun the battlecruisers and that the only hope for any of his ships to survive was to scatter. So he turned his two armoured cruisers around to buy time by engaging the battlecruisers and ordered his three light cruisers to disperse at 13:20. As soon as Luce spotted the light cruisers turn away, he turned to pursue them, followed by Kent and Cornwall. Glasgow, the fastest of the British ships, slowly increased her lead over the two armoured cruisers and Luce opened fire on Leipzig with his forward six-inch gun at 14:45 at a range of about . One of his shells struck the German ship and she turned to allow her broadside guns to fire back. The first salvo narrowly missed Glasgow and she was hit twice in the next salvo, forcing Luce to fall back. This was repeated several times which allowed the two armoured cruisers to make up some of the distance. An hour later, the Germans scattered in different directions; Cornwall and Glasgow pursued Leipzig while Kent went after . Cornwall closed on the German ship at full speed, trusting to her armour to keep out the shells, while the unarmoured Glasgow manoeuvred at a distance. At 18:00 and Cornwalls shells set Leipzig on fire. Five minutes later, the German ship had ceased firing and the British ships closed to to see if she would surrender. One last gun fired and Leipzig did not strike her colours so the British