The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a Royal Navy squadron, commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood, comprising the light cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Achilles (on loan to the New Zealand Division) and the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=efy2znQe3ZU
Which ships fought in the Battle of the River Plate?
The 82-minute engagement between the Graf Spee and its three smaller British opponents – Achilles, Ajax and Exeter – was inconclusive. All four vessels were damaged, with the British ships suffering 72 fatalities (including two New Zealanders) to the Graf Spee’s 36.
How many ships did the Graf Spee sink?
The Graf Spee, captained by Hans Langsdorff, had proved an effective battleship. It had left Germany at the start of the war accompanied by the supply ship Altmark, and succeeded in sinking nine Allied ships in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
Is the wreck of the Graf Spee still in the River Plate?
The Graf Spee was scuttled off Montevideo. Is it still there? It is. One of the most famous German battleships of the Second World War, the Graf Spee was sunk on 17 December 1939 in the river Plate outside Montevideo in Uruguay.
Did the Graf Spee have a sister ship?
Armed with six 28 cm (11 in) guns in two triple gun turrets, Admiral Graf Spee and her sisters were designed to outgun any cruiser fast enough to catch them.
German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Nazi Germany | |
| Laid down | 1 October 1932 |
| Launched | 30 June 1934 |
| Commissioned | 6 January 1936 |
What are battle ships called?
The term battleship came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ironclad warship, now referred to by historians as pre-dreadnought battleships. In 1906, the commissioning of HMS Dreadnought into the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy heralded a revolution in the field of battleship design.
What was a famous ship during the War of 1812?
The HMS SHANNON was likely the most famous frigate of the War of 1812.
Was the Graf Spee a cruiser or battleship?
◾ Graf Spee carried six giant 28,3cm guns in two triple-gun turrets, making her the most powerfully armed cruiser of World War II.
Who Sank Graf Spee?
When HMS Achilles opened fire on the German ‘pocket battleship’ Admiral Graf Spee on 13 December 1939, it became the first New Zealand unit to engage the enemy in the Second World War. More than 80 years later, the Battle of the River Plate still holds a special place in this country’s naval history.
What is the most powerful battleship ever built?
BATTLESHIP YAMATO –
BATTLESHIP YAMATO – In 1934 the Japanese begin designing The Yamato, the most powerful battleship in history.
How many times was the Graf Spee hit?
The Graf Spee was hit by at least 19 British 6- and 8-inch shells during the battle, killing 36 crewmen and wounding 60, but most of the damage to the ship was superficial.
What happened to the German ship Graf Spee?
The German battleship Graf Spee in flames after being scuttled in the River Plate Estuary off Montevideo, Uruguay. Three days later, German Captain Hans Langsdorff shot himself in a hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Where is the captain of the Graf Spee buried?
| Hans Langsdorff | |
|---|---|
| Buried | La Chacarita Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Allegiance | German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1912–1939 |
What happened to the crew of the Admiral Graf Spee?
Thirty-seven German sailors were killed in the confrontation and Captain Langsdorff was wounded, along with 57 other of the Graf Spee’s men. The Graf Spee was hit more than 30 times by shells fired from the British vessels, rendering it practically unable to function.
Was the Graf Zeppelin sunk?
She remained in the Baltic for the duration of the war; with Germany’s defeat imminent, the ship’s custodian crew scuttled her just outside Stettin in March 1945. The Soviet Union raised the ship in March 1946, and she was ultimately sunk in weapons tests north of Poland 17 months later.
Was the Scharnhorst a battleship?
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship or battlecruiser, of Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included her sister ship Gneisenau.
What is the deadliest battle ship?
Yamato Class
The lead ship of the Yamato Class was acquired by the Imperial Japanese Navy before the 2nd world war. Yamato, along with her class counterpart Musashi, were the heaviest and the most powerfully armed battleships the world ever saw. She had a displacement of 72,800 tonnes at maximum load up.
How many battleships are left?
There are no US battleships. The last ones on active service were decommissioned in the early 1990s. They were the four members of the Iowa class battleship. Iowa, Missouri Wisconsin, and New Jersey.
What is the biggest battle ship?
Yamato
The Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato, along with her sister ship Musashi, were the largest battleships ever constructed. Her nine 46cm (18.1-inch) Type 94 main guns employed were the largest ever mounted on a battle wagon, and as a result, she was the most powerfully armed battleship ever constructed.
What is the most remembered ship?
1. British Luxury Liner RMS Titanic. Undisputedly the most famous ship in maritime history to encounter the most tragic event could be this luxury cruise from the British White Starliner with a connotation to showcase mankind’s technological brilliance.
What was the first War ship?
The first evidence of ships being used for warfare was in Ancient Egypt, specifically the northern Nile River most likely to defend against Mediterranean inhabitants. The galley warship most likely originated in Crete an idea which was soon copied and popularized by the Phoenicians.