Battle of the River Plate

The Battle of the River Plate was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939 as the first naval battle of the Second World War. The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser , commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a Royal Navy squadron, commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood, comprising the cruisers , (on loan to the New Zealand Division) and .
"Graf Spee" had sailed into the South Atlantic in August 1939, before the war began, and had begun commerce raiding after receiving appropriate authorisation on 26 September 1939. Harwood's squadron was one of several search groups sent in pursuit by the British Admiralty. They sighted "Graf Spee" off the estuary of the River Plate near the coasts of Argentina and Uruguay.
In the ensuing battle, "Exeter" was severely damaged and forced to retire; "Ajax" and "Achilles" suffered moderate damage. Damage to "Graf Spee", although not extensive, was critical because her fuel system was crippled. "Ajax" and "Achilles" shadowed the German ship until she entered the port of Montevideo, the capital city of neutral Uruguay, to effect urgent repairs. Langsdorff was told that his stay could not be extended beyond 72 hours. Apparently believing that the British had gathered a superior force to await his departure, he ordered the ship to be scuttled. Three days later, Langsdorff committed suicide.
Background.
"Admiral Graf Spee" had been at sea at the start of the Second World War in September 1939, and had sunk several merchantmen in the Indian Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean without loss of life, due to her captain's policy of taking all crews on board before sinking the victim.
The Royal Navy assembled nine forces to search for the surface raider. Force G, the South American Cruiser Squadron, comprised the heavy cruiser of with eight guns in four turrets, the heavy cruiser HMS "Exeter" of with six guns in three turrets, and two light cruisers, HMS "Ajax" and "Achilles", both of with eight guns. Although technically a heavy cruiser because of the calibre of her guns, "Exeter" was a scaled-down version of the County-class. The force was commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood whose flagship was "Ajax", captained by Charles Woodhouse. "Achilles" was on loan to the New Zealand Division (precursor to the Royal New Zealand Navy) and captained by Edward Parry. "Exeter" was commanded by Captain Frederick Secker Bell. During the period before and at the immediate time of the battle, "Cumberland" (commanded by Captain Walter Herman Gordon Fallowfield) was refitting in the Falkland Islands but was available for sea at short notice. Force G was supported by the oilers , , and . "Olynthus" replenished HMS "Ajax" and "Achilles" on 22 November 1939, and "Exeter" on 26 November, at San Borombon Bay. "Olynthus" was also directed to keep observation between Medanos and Cape San Antonio, off Argentina south of the River Plate estuary (see chart below).
Following a raider-warning radio message from the merchantman "Doric Star", which was sunk by "Admiral Graf Spee" off South Africa, Harwood suspected that the raider would try to strike next at the merchant shipping off the River Plate estuary between Uruguay and Argentina. He ordered his squadron to steam toward the position 32° south, 47° west. Harwood chose this position, according to his despatch, because of its being the most congested part of the shipping routes in the South Atlantic, and therefore the point where a raider could do the most damage to enemy shipping. A Norwegian freighter saw "Admiral Graf Spee" practising the use of its searchlights and radioed that its course was toward South America.
The three available cruisers of Force G rendezvoused off the estuary on 12 December and conducted manoeuvres. The British combat instructions for engaging a pocket battleship with a cruiser squadron (which had been devised by Harwood during his period at the Royal Naval War College between 1934 and 1936) specified an attack at once, day or night. If during the day, the ships would attack as two units, in this case with "Exeter" separate from "Ajax" and "Achilles". If at night, the ships would remain in company, but in open order. By attacking from two sides, Harwood hoped to give his lighter warships a chance of overcoming the German advantage of greater range and heavier broadside by dividing the enemy's fire. By splitting his force, Harwood would force the Germans to either split their fire, reducing its effectiveness, or keep it focused on one opponent, allowing the other vessels to attack with less fear of return fire.
Although outgunned by "Admiral Graf Spee" and therefore at a tactical disadvantage, the British did have the upper hand strategically since any raider returning to Germany would have to run the blockade of the North Sea and might reasonably be expected to encounter the Home Fleet. For victory, the British only had to damage the raider enough so that she was either unable to make the journey or unable to fight a subsequent battle with the Home Fleet (by contrast the Germans would have to destroy the British force without being severely damaged). Because of overwhelming numerical superiority, the loss of even all three cruisers would not have severely altered Britain's naval capabilities, whereas "Admiral Graf Spee" was one of the Kriegsmarine's few capital ships. The British could therefore afford to risk a tactical defeat if it brought strategic victory.
Battle.
On 13 December at 05:20, the British squadron was proceeding on a course of 060° at 14 knots with "Ajax" at 34° 34' South 48° 17' West, east of Montevideo. At 06:10, smoke was sighted on a bearing of Red-100, or 320° (to the north-west). Harwood ordered the "Exeter" to investigate. She swung out of line and at 06:16 she signaled by lamp: "I think it is a pocket-battleship", and Captain Bell ordered Flag N hoisted to the yard arm – "Enemy in sight". "Graf Spee" had already sighted mastheads and identified "Exeter", but initially suspected that the two light cruisers were smaller destroyers and that the British ships were protecting a merchant convoy, the destruction of which would be a major prize. Since "Graf Spee"s reconnaissance aircraft was out of service, Langsdorff relied on his lookouts for this information. He decided to engage, despite having received a broadly accurate report from the German naval staff on 4 December, outlining British activity in the River Plate area. This report included information that "Ajax", "Achilles", "Cumberland" and "Exeter" were patrolling the South American coast.
Langsdorff realised too late that he was facing three cruisers. Calling on the immediate acceleration of his diesel engines, he closed with the enemy squadron at in the hope of engaging the steam-driven British ships before they could work up from cruising speed to full power. This strategy may seem an inexplicable blunder: Langsdorff could perhaps have manoeuvred to keep the British ships at a range where he could destroy them with his guns while remaining out of the effective range of their smaller 6in and 8in guns. On the other hand, he knew the British cruisers had a speed advantage over "Graf Spee" and could in principle stay out of range should they choose to do so, standard cruiser tactics in the presence of a superior force, while calling for reinforcements.
The British executed their battle plan: "Exeter" turned north-west, while "Ajax" and "Achilles", operating together, turned north-east to spread "Graf Spee"s fire. "Graf Spee" opened fire on "Exeter" at with her six guns at 06:18. "Exeter" opened fire at 06:20, "Achilles" at 06:21, "Exeter"s aft guns at 06:22 and "Ajax" at 06:23. Lieutenant-Commander Richard Jennings, "Exeter"s gunnery officer remembers:
As I was crossing the compass platform [to his Action Station in the Director Control Tower], the captain hailed me, not with the usual rigmarole of 'Enemy in sight, bearing, etc', but with 'There's the fucking "Scheer"! Open fire at her!' Throughout the battle the crew of the "Exeter" thought they were fighting the [sister ship] "Scheer". But the name of the enemy ship was of course the "Graf Spee".
From her opening salvo, "Graf Spee"'s gunfire proved fairly accurate, her third salvo straddling "Exeter". At 06:23, a shell burst just short of "Exeter", abreast the ship. Splinters from this shell killed the torpedo tubes' crews, damaged the ship's communications, riddled the ship's funnels and searchlights and wrecked the ship's Walrus aircraft, just as it was about to be launched for gunnery spotting. Three minutes later, "Exeter" suffered a direct hit on her "B" turret, putting it and its two guns out of action. Shrapnel swept the bridge, killing or wounding all bridge personnel except the captain and two others. Captain Bell's communications were wrecked. Communications from the aft conning position were also destroyed; the ship had to be steered via a chain of messengers for the rest of the battle.
Meanwhile, "Ajax" and "Achilles" closed to and started making in front of "Graf Spee", causing her to split her main armament at 06:30 and otherwise use her guns against them. Shortly after, "Exeter" fired two torpedoes from her starboard tubes but both missed. At 06:37, "Ajax" launched her Fairey Seafox spotter floatplane from its catapult. At 06:38, "Exeter" turned so that she could fire her port torpedoes and received two more direct hits from shells. One hit "A" turret and put it out of action, the other entered the hull and started fires. At this point, "Exeter" was severely damaged, having only "Y" turret still in action under 'local' control, with Jennings on the roof shouting instructions to those inside. She also had a 7° list, was being flooded and being steered with the use of her small boat's compass. However, "Exeter" dealt the decisive blow; one of her 8-inch shells had penetrated two decks before exploding in "Graf Spee"s funnel area, destroying her raw fuel processing system and leaving her with just 16 hours fuel, insufficient to allow her to return home.
At this point, nearly one hour after the battle started, "Graf Spee" was doomed; she could not make fuel system repairs of this complexity under fire. Two-thirds of her anti-aircraft guns were knocked out, as well as one of her secondary turrets. There were no friendly naval bases within reach, nor were any reinforcements available. She was not seaworthy and could make only the neutral port of Montevideo.
"Graf Spee" hauled round from an easterly course, now behind "Ajax" and "Achilles", towards the north-west and laid smoke. This course brought Langsdorff roughly parallel to "Exeter". By 06:50, "Exeter" listed heavily to starboard, taking water forward. Nevertheless, she still steamed at full speed and fired with her one remaining turret. Forty minutes later, water splashed in by a near-miss short-circuited her electrical system for that turret. Captain Bell was forced to break off the action. This would have been the opportunity to finish off "Exeter". Instead, the combined fire of "Ajax" and "Achilles" drew Langsdorff's attention as both ships closed the German ship.
Twenty minutes later, "Ajax" and "Achilles" turned to starboard to bring all their guns to bear, causing "Graf Spee" to turn away and lay a smoke screen. At 07:10, the two light cruisers turned to reduce the range from , even though this meant that only their forward guns could fire. At 07:16, "Graf Spee" turned to port and headed straight for the badly damaged "Exeter", but fire from "Ajax" and "Achilles" forced her at 07:20 to turn and fire her guns at them, while they turned to starboard to bring all their guns to bear. "Ajax" turned to starboard at 07:24 and fired her torpedoes at a range of , causing "Graf Spee" to turn away under a smoke screen. At 07:25, "Ajax" was hit by a shell that put "X" turret out of action and jammed "Y" turret, causing some casualties. By 07:40, "Ajax" and "Achilles" were running low on resources, and the British decided to change tactics, moving to the east under a smoke screen. Harwood decided to shadow "Graf Spee" and try to attack at night, when he could attack with torpedoes and better use his advantages of speed and manoeuvrability, while minimising his deficiencies in armour. "Ajax" was again hit by a shell that destroyed her mast and caused more casualties; "Graf Spee" continued to the south-west.
Pursuit.
The battle now turned into a pursuit. Captain Parry of "Achilles" wrote afterwards: "To this day I do not know why the "Admiral Graf Spee" did not dispose of us in the "Ajax" and the "Achilles" as soon as she had finished with the "Exeter"". The British and New Zealand cruisers split up, keeping about from "Admiral Graf Spee". "Ajax" kept to the German's port and "Achilles" to the starboard. At 09:15, "Ajax" recovered her aircraft. At 09:46, Harwood signalled to "Cumberland" for reinforcement and the Admiralty also ordered ships within to proceed to the River Plate. At 10:05, "Achilles" had overestimated "Admiral Graf Spee"s speed and she came into range of the German guns. "Admiral Graf Spee" turned and fired two three-gun salvoes with her fore guns. "Achilles" turned away under a smoke screen.
According to Pope, at 11:03 a merchant ship was sighted close to "Admiral Graf Spee". After a few minutes, "Admiral Graf Spee" called "Ajax" on W/T, probably on the international watchkeeping frequency of 500 kHz, using both ships' pre-war call-signs, with the signal: "please pick up lifeboats of English steamer". The German call-sign was DTGS, confirming to Harwood that the pocket-battleship he had engaged was indeed "Admiral Graf Spee". "Ajax" did not reply but a little later the British flagship closed with SS "Shakespeare" with its lifeboats still hoisted and men still on board. "Admiral Graf Spee" had fired a gun and ordered them to stop but when they did not obey orders to leave the ship, Langsdorff decided to continue on his way and "Shakespeare" had a lucky escape. The shadowing continued for the rest of the day until 19:15, when "Admiral Graf Spee" turned and opened fire on "Ajax", which turned away under a smoke screen.
It was now clear that "Admiral Graf Spee" was entering the River Plate estuary. Since the estuary had sandbanks, Harwood ordered "Achilles" to shadow "Admiral Graf Spee" while "Ajax" would cover any attempt to double back through a different channel. The sun set at 20:48, with "Admiral Graf Spee" silhouetted against the sun. "Achilles" had again closed the range and "Admiral Graf Spee" opened fire, forcing "Achilles" to turn away. During the battle, a total of 108 men had been killed on both sides, including 36 on "Admiral Graf Spee".
"Admiral Graf Spee" entered Montevideo in neutral Uruguay, dropping anchor at about 00:10 on 14 December. This was a political error, since Uruguay, while neutral, had benefited from significant British influence during its development and it favoured the Allies. The British Hospital, for example (where the wounded from the battle were taken), was the leading hospital in the city. The port of Mar del Plata on the Argentine coast and south of Montevideo would have been a better choice for "Admiral Graf Spee". Also, had "Admiral Graf Spee" left port at this time, the damaged "Ajax" and "Achilles" would have been the only British warships that it would encounter in the area.
Trap of Montevideo.
In Montevideo, the 13th Hague Convention came into play. Under Article 12, "belligerent war-ships are not permitted to remain in the ports, roadsteads or territorial waters of the said Power for more than twenty-four hours". Under Article 14, "[a] belligerent war-ship may not prolong its stay in a neutral port beyond the permissible time except on account of damage". British diplomats duly pressed for the speedy departure of the "Graf Spee". Also relevant was Article 16, of which part reads, "A belligerent war-ship may not leave a neutral port or roadstead until twenty-four hours after the departure of a merchant ship flying the flag of its adversary".
The Germans released 61 captive British merchant seamen who had been on board in accordance with their obligations. Langsdorff then asked the Uruguayan government for two weeks to make repairs. Initially, the British diplomats in Uruguay — principally Eugen Millington-Drake — made several requests for "Admiral Graf Spee" to leave port immediately. After consultation with London, which was aware that there were no significant British naval forces in the area, Millington-Drake continued to demand that "Admiral Graf Spee" leave. At the same time, he arranged for British and French merchant ships to steam from Montevideo at intervals of 24 hours, whether they had originally intended to do so or not, thus invoking Article 16. This kept "Admiral Graf Spee" in port and allowed more time for British forces to reach the area.
At the same time, the British attempted to feed false intelligence to the Germans that an overwhelming British force was being assembled, including Force H (the aircraft carrier and the battlecruiser ) by broadcasting a series of signals, on frequencies known to be intercepted by German intelligence. In fact the two cruisers had been joined only by "Cumberland" which had arrived at 22:00 on 14 December, after steaming from the Falkland Islands in 34 hours, at an average of over 90% of her full trials speed attained over much shorter distances. The older and larger "Cumberland" was more powerful than "Exeter", with an additional aft turret containing two more 8-inch guns, but was no match on paper for "Admiral Graf Spee" whose guns had significantly longer range and fired much heavier shells (660 lb against 256 lb). Overwhelming British forces (HMS "Renown", "Ark Royal", , , and ) were "en route", but would not assemble until 19 December, although they could intercept earlier if "Admiral Graf Spee" headed north or north east from Montevideo shadowed by "Cumberland" and her smaller consorts. For the time being, the total force comprised the undamaged "Cumberland" with a full ammunition load, and the damaged "Ajax" and "Achilles" with depleted stocks of shells. To reinforce the propaganda effect, these ships — which were waiting just outside the three-mile limit — were ordered to make smoke, which could be clearly seen from the Montevideo waterfront.
On 15 December 1939, "Olynthus" refuelled "Ajax", which proved a difficult operation; the ship had to use hurricane hawsers to complete the replenishment. On 17 December "Achilles" was replenished from "Olynthus" off Rouen Bank.
The Germans were entirely deceived, and expected to face a far superior force on leaving the River Plate. "Admiral Graf Spee" had also used two-thirds of her ammunition and had only enough left for approximately a further 20 minutes of firing. Such a reduced ammunition stock was hardly sufficient for the ship to fight her way out of Montevideo, let alone get back to Germany, when contrasted with the previously unengaged "Cumberland"s ability to fight at full capacity for about 90 minutes and pursue at equal or higher speed for at least another before requiring replenishment at sea.
While the ship was prevented from leaving the harbour, Captain Langsdorff consulted with his command in Germany. He received orders that permitted some options, but not internment in Uruguay. The Germans feared that Uruguay could be persuaded to join the Allied cause. Ultimately, he chose to scuttle his ship in the River Plate estuary on 17 December, to avoid unnecessary loss of life for no particular military advantage, a decision that is said to have infuriated Adolf Hitler. The crew of "Admiral Graf Spee" were taken to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Captain Langsdorff committed suicide by gunshot on 19 December. He was buried there with full military honours, and several British officers who were present attended. Many of the crew members were reported to have moved to Montevideo with the help of local people of German origin. The German dead were buried in the Cementerio del Norte, Montevideo.
Aftermath.
The German propaganda machine had reported that "Admiral Graf Spee" had sunk a heavy cruiser and heavily damaged two light cruisers while only being lightly damaged herself. "Admiral Graf Spee"s scuttling however was a severe embarrassment and difficult to explain on the basis of publicly available facts. The battle was a major victory for the British, as the damage to "Ajax" and "Achilles" was not sufficient to reduce their fighting efficiency, while "Exeter", as badly damaged as she was, was able to reach the Falkland Islands for emergency repairs, before returning to Devonport for a 13-month refit, thus enhancing the reputation of First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill.
Prisoners taken from merchant ships by "Admiral Graf Spee" who had been transferred to her supply ship "Altmark" were freed by a boarding party from the British destroyer , in the Altmark Incident (16 February 1940)—whilst in Jøssingfjord, at the time neutral Norwegian waters. Prisoners who had not been transferred to "Altmark" had remained aboard "Admiral Graf Spee" during the battle; they were released on arrival in Montevideo.
On 22 December 1939 over 1,000 sailors from "Admiral Graf Spee" were taken to Buenos Aires and interned there; at least 92 were transferred during 1940 to a camp in Rosario, some were transferred to Club Hotel de la Ventana in Buenos Aires Province and another group to Villa General Belgrano, a small town founded by German immigrants in 1932. Some of these sailors later settled there. After the war many German sailors settled permanently in various parts of Uruguay, some returning after being repatriated to Germany. Rows of simple crosses in the Cementerio del Norte, in the north of the city of Montevideo, mark the burial places of the German dead. Three sailors killed aboard "Achilles" were buried in the British Cemetery in Montevideo, while those who died on "Exeter" were buried at sea.
Intelligence gathering and salvage.
Immediately after her scuttling, the wreck of "Admiral Graf Spee" rested in shallow water, with much of the ship's superstructure remaining above water level, but over the years, the wreck has subsided into the muddy bottom and today only the tip of the mast remains above the surface.
A radar expert was sent to Montevideo shortly after the scuttling and reported a rotating aerial, probably for gunlaying, transmitting on either 57 or 114 centimetres. In February 1940, the wreck was boarded by US Navy sailors from the light cruiser .
In 1964 a memorial to the ship was erected in Montevideo's port. Part of it is "Admiral Graf Spee"s anchor.
In 1997, one of "Admiral Graf Spee"s secondary gun mounts was raised and restored; it can now be seen outside Montevideo's National Maritime Museum.
In February 2004, a salvage team began work raising the wreck. The operation is being funded in part by the government of Uruguay, in part by the private sector, as the wreck is now a hazard to navigation. The first major section, the heavy gunnery control station, was raised on 25 February 2004. It is expected to take several years to raise the entire wreck. James Cameron filmed the salvage operation. After it has been raised, it was planned that the ship may be restored and put on display at the National Marine Museum.
Many German veterans did not approve of this restoration attempt, as they considered the wreck to be a war grave and an underwater historical monument that should be respected. One of them, Hans Eupel, a former specialist torpedo mechanic, 87 years old in 2005, said that "this is madness, too expensive and senseless. It is also dangerous, as one of the three explosive charges we placed did not explode".
On 10 February 2006, the , 400 kg eagle and swastika crest of "Admiral Graf Spee" was recovered from the stern of the ship. This spread-wing statue of a Nazi eagle with a wreath in its talons containing a swastika was attached to the stern, not the bow like traditional figureheads. It was a common feature of prewar Nazi warships. In other cases, it was removed for a variety of practical reasons on the outbreak of the war, but because "Admiral Graf Spee" was already at sea when the war began, she went into action (and was scuttled) with it attached, thus permitting its recovery. To protect the feelings of those with painful memories of Nazi Germany, the swastika at the base of the figurehead was covered as it was pulled from the water. The figurehead was stored in a Uruguayan naval warehouse following German complaints about exhibiting "Nazi paraphernalia".
Legacy.
In 1956, the film "The Battle of the River Plate" (US title: "Pursuit of the Graf Spee") was made of the battle and "Admiral Graf Spee"s end, with Peter Finch as Langsdorff and Anthony Quayle as Harwood. Finch portrays Langsdorff sympathetically as a gentleman. The "Achilles", which had been recommissioned in 1948 as HMIS "Delhi", flagship of the Royal Indian Navy, played herself in the film. HMS "Ajax" (twin turrets) was "played" by HMS "Sheffield" (triple turrets), HMS "Exeter" (twin turrets) by HMS "Jamaica" (triple turrets) and HMS "Cumberland" by herself (although de-gunned as a trials platform). "Admiral Graf Spee" (two turrets) was portrayed by the U.S. heavy cruiser (three turrets).
The battle was for many years re-enacted with large-scale model boats throughout the summer season at Peasholm Park in the English seaside resort of Scarborough. The re-enactment now portrays an anonymous battle between a convoy of British ships and an unspecified enemy in possession of the nearby shore.
After the battle, the new town of Ajax, Ontario, in Canada, constructed as a Second World War munitions production centre, was named after HMS "Ajax". Many of its streets are named after Admiral Harwood's crewmen on "Ajax", "Exeter" and "Achilles". Its main street is named after Admiral Harwood, while a small street was named (after some controversy) for Captain Langsdorff. According to an article in the German language paper "Albertaner" on 6 October 2007, Steve Parish, the mayor of Ajax, defended the decision, declaring that Langsdorff had not been a typical Nazi officer. An accompanying photograph (above) from the funeral of crew members shows Langsdorff paying tribute with a traditional naval salute, while people beside and behind him—even some clergymen—are giving the Fascist salute.
Also in Canada, the names of the ships, and the commander of Force G, have been used for Cadet Corps. The Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps (RCSCC) Ajax No. 89 in Guelph, Ontario; the Navy League Cadet Corps (NLCC) Achilles No. 34 in Guelph, Ontario; the Navy League Wrenette Corps (NLWC) Lady Exeter (now disbanded) and the camp shared by all three corps, called Camp Cumberland (this camp no longer exists; it was decommissioned around 1999). RCSCC Harwood No. 244 and NLCC Exeter No. 173 are situated in Ajax, Ontario.
A number of streets in Nelson Bay, New South Wales, have been named after the battle including Montevideo Parade, Achilles Street, Ajax Avenue, Harwood Avenue, and Exeter Road (now called Shoal Bay Road). In Auckland, home port of the Royal New Zealand Navy, streets have been named for "Achilles", "Ajax" and "Exeter". Three streets in North Wollongong, New South Wales, are named Ajax Avenue, Exeter Avenue and Achilles Avenue.
The battle is also significant as it was the first time the current Flag of New Zealand was flown in battle, from HMS "Achilles". Also in New Zealand, four mountain peaks in the Two Thumb Range region of the South Island are named in commemoration of the battle. These are Achilles (2,544m), Exeter (2,327m), Ajax (2,319m) and Graf Spee (2,267m).