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The Battle of the River Plate
The first major sinking of a warship by Royal Naval forces
The Battle of the River Plate in December 1939 was the first major sinking of a warship by British Forces and a huge morale boost. The German 'pocket battleship' Graf Spee had been attacking and sinking merchant ships during its long voyage from Germany to the South Atlantic. The Graf Spee’s commander was the respected Captain Hans Langsdorff, and he set about confusing, disrupting and sinking shipping.
The Graf Spee’s attacks were faultless and also involved not one single loss of life. The ship would threaten the merchant ships until they surrendered then take their crews prisoner until they could be offloaded. In response the Navy set up hunting groups to find and destroy the as yet unidentified German ship causing so much havoc. The British cruisers HMS Exeter, Ajax and Achilles were the first force to find the Graf Spee. With brilliant guesswork and some luck the British forces, commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood, intercepted Captain Langsdorff at the mouth of the River Plate.
The Battle of River Plate - Admiral Graf Spee (1934) German Cruiser (RNM)
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The Battle of River Plate
