Career
Ordered:
Laid down:	October 1, 1932
Launched:	June 30, 1934
Commissioned:	January 6, 1936
Fate:	Scuttled December 17, 1939
General Characteristics
Displacement:	12,100 t standard; 16,200 t full load
Length:	186 m (610 ft)
Beam:	21.6 m (71 ft)
Draft (max.):	7.4 m (24 ft)
Armament:	6 x 28 cm (11 in) (2 x 3) 8 x 15 cm (5.9 in) (8 x 1) 6 x 10.5 cm (3 x 2) 8 x 37 mm AA (4x2) 8 x 20 mm AA (8 x 1) 8 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (2 x 4)
Rate of fire:	28 cm guns: 2.5 round/min each 15 cm guns: 6 to 8 round/min each
Gun range:	28 cm guns at 40 deg; (armor-piercing shells): 36,475 m
Estimated gun life:	28 cm guns: about 340 rounds; 15 cm guns: about 1,100 rounds
Munitions supply:	28 cm guns: 105 to 120 rounds per gun
Armor:	140 mm (5.5 in) turret face 58 mm (2.3 in) midships belt 41 mm (1.6 in) deck
Aircraft:	Two Arado 196 seaplanes, one catapult
Propulsion:	Eight 9-cylinder double-acting two-stroke MAN diesels two screws, 52,050 hp (40 MW)
Speed:	28.5 knots (53 km/h)
Range:	8,900 nautical miles at 20 knots (16,500 km at 37 km/h)
or	19,000 nautical miles at 10 knots (35,000 km at 18.5 km/h)
Crew:	1,150

Admiral Graf Spee was a pocket battleship (Panzerschiff, later reclassified as heavy cruiser) launched by Germany in 1934 and named after the World War I Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee who died in the first Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. Although Admiral Graf Spee is often called Graf Spee for short, it must not be confused with the uncompleted World War I German battlecruiser SMS Graf Spee. Source: [1]. Copyright situation unclear. ... Jack of the German Kaiserliche Marine and Kriegsmarine. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining, and the last day of June. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A modern torpedo, historically called a self propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... The Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance aircraft built by Arado starting in 1936. ... Pocket battleship is the British Royal Navy description for a class of warships built by German Reichsmarine in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Maximilian von Spee Count (Graf) Maximilian Johannes Maria Hubert von Spee (22 June 1861 – 8 December 1914) was a German naval officer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark, who joined the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) in 1878. ... Battle of the Falkland Islands Conflict World War I Date 8 December 1914 Place South Atlantic, near the Falkland Islands Result Decisive British victory The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a naval engagement of the First World War, fought between units of the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... HMS Hood (left) and HMS Barham (right), in Malta, 1937. ... The Graf Spee was a German Mackensen class battle cruiser that was never finished. ...

After World War I, replacement battleships for the German Navy were limited to 10,000 tons and 11 inch (533 mm) guns. Before Admiral Graf Spee was given her official name, she was refered to as Panzerschiff C and Ersatz Braunschweig, as she would be replacing the old battlewhip Braunschweig in the fleet inventory. The ship cost 82 million Reichmarks to build. Much weight was saved by using electric arc welding instead of rivets.

After commissioning in 1936, Admiral Graf Spee served as fleet flagship until 1938, and performed international maritime control duties off the coast of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. When Germany realized that war was imminent, plans were made to deploy the panzerschiffes as raiders in the Atlantic Ocean. Admiral Graf Spee sailed from Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on 21 August 1939, her mission to act as a raider in the South Atlantic. Supported by her supply ship, the tanker Altmark, her orders were to sink British merchant ships but to avoid combat with strong enemy forces, thus threatening vital Allied supply lines and drawing British naval units off their stations in other parts of the world. 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936... Wilhelmshaven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... The Altmark was a German tanker / unarmed supply vessel, best known for her support of the Admiral Graf Spee and later involvement in the Altmark Incident. ...

The cruise of Admiral Graf Spee with ships sunk

From September through December 1939 Admiral Graf Spee sank nine merchant ships in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, the first on September 30, 1939. The captain of the Admiral Graf Spee strictly adhered to the rules of mercantile warfare at the time, and saved all of the crew members of these ships; not a life was lost in these sinkings. The crews of these ships were transferred to her tanker Altmark. Later, these 299 crew members were freed by force in neutral Norwegian territorial waters by the British destroyer HMS Cossack (the Altmark Incident). From HMSO report into the sinking of the Graf Spee, 1940 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... From HMSO report into the sinking of the Graf Spee, 1940 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 92 days remaining, as the final day of September. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... HMS Cossack (L-03/F-03/G-03) was a Tribal-class destroyer which became famous for the boarding of the German supply ship Altmark in Norwegian waters, and the associated rescue of sailors originally captured by the Admiral Graf Spee. ... The German tanker Altmark in Jøssingfjord, Norway, February 1940 The Altmark Incident (Norwegian: Altmark-saken) was a naval skirmish of the Second World War between United Kingdom and Nazi Germany, occurring in at that time neutral Norwegian waters on 16 February 1940. ...

Technologically, the Admiral Graf Spee was ahead of her time, especially in terms of her speed. At one point, the Allies were convinced that two such ships must exist so as to explain her near-simultaneous appearance in distant locations, unexplainable by conventional sea travel at the time.

Britain formed seven hunting groups in the Atlantic and one in the Indian Ocean to look for her, totalling three battleships, two battlecruisers, four aircraft carriers, and 16 cruisers (including French ships invoved in the hunt). More groups were assembled later. HMS Victory in 1884 In naval history, battleships were the most heavily armed and armored warships afloat. ... HMS Hood (left) and HMS Barham (right), in Malta, 1937. ... An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft. ... The USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga class cruiser. ...

On December 13, 1939, she was found by the British Hunting Group G, consisting of the 8 inch (203 mm) gunned cruiser HMS Exeter, and 6 inch (152 mm) gunned light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles; and the Battle of the River Plate ensued. After taking spectacular-looking but actually relatively superficial damage, the ship entered the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay, for repairs. During this time, the ship's dead were buried in a Montevideo cemetary. At the funeral ceremony, Captain Hans Langsdorff, the captain of the Admiral Graf Spee used the naval salute, while all others around him used the Nazi salute. A ruse by the British made the captain think that he was out-numbered, and his escape route was cut off. On 17 December 1939, with the British cruisers Ajax, Achilles, and Cumberland waiting in international waters outside the mouth of the River Plate, the ship sailed outside the harbor and was scuttled by the captain to avoid risking the crew in what he expected to be a losing battle. Captain Langsdorff shot himself to death three days later. December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... USS Port Royal, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1994. ... The fourth and best known HMS Exeter (68), was a County-class heavy cruiser of the York subclass that served in World War II. She was built by Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... HMS Ajax was a Leander-class light cruiser. ... HMS Achilles (from 1941 HMNZS Achilles) was a Leander class cruiser of 7,200 tons built in Birkenhead, England and launched on 1 September 1932. ... The Battle of the River Plate (December 13, 1939 ) was the first major naval battle of World War II. The German pocket battleship (heavy cruiser) Admiral Graf Spee which had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September was engaged by three Royal Navy cruisers, HMS Exeter... Independence Plaza Montevideo from space, March 1997 Independence Plaza, c. ... Kapitän zur See Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff (March 20, 1894 – December 19, 1939) was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the Panzerschiff (pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. ... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... There have been sixteen ships named HMS Cumberland in the Royal Navy. ... A satellite view of the estuary Another satellite view of the estuary The River Plate (Spanish: Río de la Plata) is the estuary formed from the combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. ...

In 1997, one of Admiral Graf Spee's 15cm secondary gun mounts was raised and restored, and can now be found outside Montevideo's National Maritime Museum. 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom, and one of the most important in the world. ...

In February 2004 a salvage team began work raising the wreck of 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. February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James Cameron from Ghosts of the Abyss James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian film director noted for his American action/science fiction films, which are often completed behind schedule and over budget but compensate by being extremely successful financially. ...

Most of the surviving sailors do not approve of this restoration attempt, as they consider the wreck to be a war grave and an underwater historical monument which must be respected. One of them, Hans Eupel, former specialist torpedo mechanic, 87 years old in 2005, added "this is madness, too expensive, and senseless. It is also dangerous, as one of the three explosive charges we placed did not explode."

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

Kapitän zur See Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff (March 20, 1894 – December 19, 1939) was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the Panzerschiff (pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

References

• Siegfried Breyer, Battleships and Battlecruisers 1905-1970 (Doubleday and Company; Garden City, New York, 1973) (originally published in German as Schlachtschiffe und Schlachtkreuzer 1905-1970, J.F. Lehmanns, Verlag, Munchen, 1970). Contains various line drawings of the ship as designed and as built.
• Jak P. Malmann Showell, The German Navy in World War Two (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1979), ISBN 0-87021-933-2

External links

• Grafspee.com
• The Graf Spee Project: Recovering a WWII German Battleship
• The Recovery of the Graf Spee (in Spanish)
• Maritimequest Admiral Graf Spee photo gallery