German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee
| The Admiral Graf Spee | ||
| Career |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Ordered: | ||
| Laid down: | October 1 1932 | |
| Launched: | June 30 1934 | |
| Commissioned: | January 6 1936 | |
| Fate: | Scuttled December 17 1939 | |
| General Characteristics | ||
| Displacement: | 13,600t standard; 16,023t full load | |
| Length: | 616.5 ft | |
| Beam: | 71 ft | |
| Draft: | 24 ft | |
| Armament: | 6 11" guns (2 triple turrets), 16 5.9" guns, 8 21" torpedo tubes (2 quadruple) | |
| Rate of fire: | 11" guns: 2.5 rounds/minute/gun 5.9" guns: 6-8 rounds/minute/gun | |
| Gun range: | 11" guns at 40° (armor-piercing shells): 36,475 m | |
| Estimated gun life: | 11" guns: ca. 340 rounds; 5.9" guns: ca. 1100 rounds | |
| Munitions supply: | 11" guns: 105-120 rounds/gun | |
| Armor: | 5.5" turret face, 2.3" midships belt, 1.6" deck | |
| Aircraft: | 2 Arado 196 seaplanes, 1 catapult | |
| Propulsion: | 8 MAN diesels, 2 screws | |
| Speed: | 26 knots @ 53,650 bhp | |
| Range: | 8900 nm @ 20 knots | |
| Crew: | 1150 | |
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 uncompleted 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 1997 one of Admiral Graf Spee's secondary gun turrets was raised and restored, and can now be found outside Montevideo's National Maritime Museum.
In February 2004 a salvage team began work raising the Admiral Graf Spee. The operation is in part being funded 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 27 ton heavy gunnery control station, was raised on 25 February 2004. 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.
Commanding Officers
- Kapitän zur See Konrad Patzig: January 1936 – October 1937
- Kapitän zur See Walter Warzecha: October 1937 – October 1938
- Kapitän zur See Hans Langsdorff: October 1938 – 17 December 1939