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Admiral Graf Spee was a Deutschland-class Panzerschiff (armored ship), nicknamed a "pocket battleship" by the British, which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. The vessel was named after World War I Admiral Maximilian von Spee , commander of the East Asia Squadron who fought the battles of Coronel and the Falkland ...
The Battle of the River Plate was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939 as the first British naval battle of the Second World War.. The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a Royal Navy squadron, [1] [2] commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood, [3] comprising the light cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Achilles (on loan to the New Zealand ...
Ajax was hit seven times by the Germans: X and Y turrets were disabled, structural damage was sustained and there were 12 casualties including 7 killed. [18] Exeter, more severely damaged, retired, leaving the two light cruisers to maintain contact with Graf Spee when she withdrew to Montevideo. The reasons for the German ship's withdrawal and ...
On 13 December 1939, the Battle of the River Plate took place off the coast of Uruguay between a British Royal Navy squadron and the German "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee. All four vessels suffered damage and the Graf Spee took refuge in Montevideo harbour. Negotiations began about its status as an active belligerent taking shelter in a ...
After the battle, German naval experts were baffled at why Admiral Spee attacked the base and how the two squadrons could have met so coincidentally in so many thousand miles of open waters. Kaiser Wilhelm 's handwritten note on the official report of the battle reads: "It remains a mystery what made Spee attack the Falkland Islands.
Graf Spee retained five officers of Doric Star, including Captain Stubbs, who were onboard Graf Spee along with other Allied prisoners when she took part in the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December. After the battle, the damaged Graf Spee made passage to Montevideo, and upon arrival, all of the prisoners on board were released. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In December 1939, after the Battle of the River Plate, Force K was sent to the coast of Uruguay to prevent any sortie by Graf Spee, whose captain had taken the ship into Montevideo harbour. After Graf Spee was scuttled, Force K was disbanded and Ark Royal escorted the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter, which had been damaged by Graf Spee, to Britain. [1]
Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee had some improvements in armor thickness. The barbettes, 100 mm thick in Deutschland, became 125 mm for the two sisters. Admiral Scheer had the belt somewhat improved, and Admiral Graf Spee had a much more improved 100 mm belt, instead of 50–80 mm. The armored deck was improved as well, and some places had ...