Admiral Graf Spee
The Admiral Graf Spee was a pocket battleship launched by Germany in 1934 and named after the World War I Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee.
Although the Admiral Graf Spee is often called Graf Spee for short, it must not be confused with the World War I German battle cruiser Graf Spee.
In 1939 the Admiral Graf Spee sank a number of merchant ships in the south Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, with the first on September 30.
The Allies formed seven hunting groups in the Atlantic and one in the Indian Ocean to look for her, totalling three battleships, four aircraft carriers, and 16 cruisers. More groups were assembled later.
On December 13 1939, she was found by the British Hunting Group G - the 8-inch gunned cruiser HMS Exeter, and 6-inch gunned light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles - in the Battle of the River Plate. After taking relatively superficial damage and retreating to the neutral port of Montevideo, the ship was scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff to avoid risking the crew in what he thought would be a losing battle.
In Febuary 2004 a salvage team began work raising the Admiral Graf Spee. The operation is in part being funded by the government of Uruguay and as well as from the private sector. It is expected to take several years to raise the entire wreck. Film director James Cameron is filming the salvage operation. After it has been raised it is planned that the ship will be restored and put on display at the National Marine Museum in Montevideo.
Referenced By
Battle of the River Plate | Battlecruiser | Famous People Who Have Commited Suicide | Famous People Who Have Committed Suicide | Graf Spee | HMNZS Achilles | HMS Ajax | HMS Exeter | Hans Langsdorff | List of Naval Vessels of World War II | List of famous people who have committed suicide | List of famous suicides | List of people who commited suicide | List of ships of the German navies | List of shipwrecks | Maximilian von Spee | Panzerschiff | Phoney War | Phony War | Pocket battleship | Pursuit of the Graf Spee | Ship wreck | Shipwreck | The Battle of the River Plate | The Battle of the River Plate (movie) | Timeline of World War 2 | Timeline of World War II | Timeline of the Second World War
|
