Home > German battleship Admiral Graf Spee

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 OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earth's water surface. It is bounded on the north by southern Asia (the Indian Sub-continent); on the west by the Arabian Peninsula and Africa; on the east by the, with the first on September 30September 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. Events 1399 Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1452 First printed book, the Johann Gutenberg Bible.. The Allies formed seven hunting groups in the Atlantic and one in the Indian Ocean to look for her, totalling three battleshipThis article is about a battleship as a type of warship. See also Battleship (game). Dreadnought redirects here. See also Workers' Dreadnought. In naval history, battleships were the most heavily armed and armored warships afloat. In the mid- 20th centurys, four aircraft carrierUSS John C. Stennis (left), and HMS Illustrious (right), showing the difference in size between a supercarrier and a typical aircraft carrier. An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft. Aircraft carriers thus allows, and 16 cruisers. More groups were assembled later.

On December 13December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 18 days remaining. Events 1545 Council of Trent begins 1577 Sir Francis Drake sets out from Plymouth, on his round-the-world voyage 1642 Abel Janszoon Tasm 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 HMS Achilles (the last of New Zealand) - 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.