Could the Graf Spee have escaped?
Even now, with Harwood’s force low on ammunition, the Graf Spee might have been able to escape to neutral but Nazi-sympathizing Argentina. Yet Langsdorff was crushed by contradictory pressures that would have strained any captain. The pro-British Uruguayan government had ordered him to leave or be interned.
Why did they scuttle the Graf Spee?
Admiral Graf Spee inflicted heavy damage on the British ships, but she too was damaged, and was forced to put into port at Montevideo, Uruguay. Convinced by false reports of superior British naval forces approaching his ship, Hans Langsdorff, the commander of the ship, ordered the vessel to be scuttled.
How did the Graf Spee sunk?
World War II got off to a bad start for the British. But the Royal Navy recorded a spirit-lifting victory just days later, after British ships cornered the imposing German warship Graf Spee off the coast of South America, defeating it in the first major naval battle of World War II.
What happened to the crew of the Graf Spee?
The men ended up here after the pride of the German Navy was scuttled by her captain to avoid capture by the Royal Navy in the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939. As the ship sank into the mud of the Plate estuary, the crew headed for neutral Argentina, where they were interned for the rest of the war.
Has the Graf Spee been raised?
The Graf Spee was scuttled off Montevideo. In more recent years, further efforts have been made, with one of the Graf Spee’s gun mounts being raised and restored in 1997, and – most famously – its eagle figurehead being salvaged in 2006. Its telemeter, or range finder, is also displayed on the seafront in Montevideo.
Was the Graf Spee sunk?
Outcome: ‘Admiral Graf Spee’ deliberately sunk by its crew in neutral waters and Captain Hans Langsdorff committed suicide.
What happened to Graf Spee crew?
Where is the Graf Spee?
Montevideo
The wreck of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee scuttled off Montevideo on 17 December 1939 in position 34º 58′ 18″ South, 56º 17′ 57″ West. The wreck of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee scuttled off Montevideo on 17 December 1939 in position 34º 58′ 18″ South, 56º 17′ 57″ West.
How good was the Graf Spee?
The Graf Spee was more heavily gunned than any cruiser and had a top speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 12,500 miles (20,000 km). 13, 1939, off the Río de la Plata estuary by a British search group consisting of the cruisers Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles, commanded by Commodore H. Harwood.
How do you play Graf Spee?
The only way to play Graf Spee is to run full secondary build using your German BB captain, run straight into melee range and hit them with your torps! You basically hit the nail on the head. The Graf Spee is meant to bully other cruisers.
Is the Yamato in War Thunder?
The Yamato and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load and was armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) main guns, split equally between the ship’s three turrets….
| Yamato-class | |
|---|---|
| Beam | 38.9 m (127.58 ft) |
| Draught | 10.4 m (34.08 ft) |
Why did Admiral Graf Spee scuttle his ship?
After taking damage at the Battle of the River Plate on December 13, 1939, Admiral Graf Spee sought refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay. Blocked by neutrality laws from making repairs and facing a superior British force, Captain Hans Langsdorff elected to scuttle the ship rather than let it be interned in Uruguay.
What was the speed of the Graf Spee?
His 16,000-ton ship pushed forward, reaching a speed of 24 knots. At 0618 the Graf Spee’s forward 280mm cannons opened fire, sending shells hurtling towards the Exeter, while she pulled away from the other two cruisers. Within the next six minutes, all four ships had opened fire.
Where did the Graf Spee go in WW2?
On August 21, 1939, the Graf Spee left Wilhelmshaven, headed for the Atlantic under the command of Kapitan zur See Hans Langsdorff. By the time war was declared on September 1, she was well on her way to the South Atlantic, and British shipping lanes.
What did Admiral Graf Spee see off the starboard bow?
On December 13, Admiral Graf Spee spotted masts off the starboard bow. While Langsdorff first believed these to be convoy escorts reports soon informed him that it was a British squadron. Electing to fight, he ordered his ship to maximum speed and closed with the enemy.