 After the battle , Spee took his ships north to Valparaiso . Since Chile was neutral , only three ships could enter the port at a time ; Spee took Scharnhorst , Gneisenau , and Nürnberg in first on the morning of 3 November , leaving Dresden and Leipzig with the colliers at Mas a Fuera . There , Spee 's ships could take on coal while he conferred with the Admiralty Staff in Germany to determine the strength of remaining British forces in the region . In addition , Spee sought to counter British press reports that attempted to minimize their losses and exaggerate German casualties . A reception followed at the German Club of Valparaiso , though Spee insisted that the event be restrained in tone . He received a bouquet of flowers to celebrate the victory at Coronel ; Spee replied that they would do nicely for his grave . He stated that , 
