What happened to the crew of the 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.

What happened to the survivors of the Graf Spee?

They were interned in Argentina during the war and many settled there afterwards. Every year, hundreds of their descendants gather at his grave in Argentina's National Cemetery in Buenos Aires to commemorate him.

What happened to Captain Langsdorff the captain of the Graf Spee?

Langsdorff committed suicide in a hotel room in Buenos Aires, across the river in Argentina, three days after he scuttled his ship rather than face what he believed to be a vastly superior British force waiting out at sea.

Can the Graf Spee still be seen?

The Graf Spee's captain scuttled the ship before committing suicide, and it has remained in waters less than 25 feet (7.5 meters) deep only miles outside the port of Montevideo ever since.

Where is the wreck of the Graf Spee?

The wreck of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee scuttled off Montevideo on 17 December 1939 in position 34º 58' 18" South, 56º 17' 57" West. The wreck of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee scuttled off Montevideo on 17 December 1939 in position 34º 58' 18" South, 56º 17' 57" West.

The Last Cruise of Graf Spee (AKA Battle of the River Plate)

How many ships did Graf Spee sink?

When war broke out in September 1939, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee, commanded by Hans Langsdorff, was patrolling in the Atlantic. She represented a grave threat to Allied shipping, sinking eight merchant ships between September and December.

Where is the Tirpitz wreck?

The sinking place of the German battleship Tirpitz off Håkøy Island near Tromsø, Norway, in position 69º 38' 49" North, 18º 48' 27" East.

Where is the Graf Zeppelin now?

According to Soviet records, on 19 March 1947, the Council of Ministers decreed the destruction of former German ships. The first ship to be sunk, Lützow, was sunk off Swinemunde on 22 July 1947. On 14 August Graf Zeppelin was towed into Swinemunde harbor, and two days later to its final position.

Was the Graf Spee a cruiser or battleship?

Graf Spee, in full Admiral Graf von Spee, German pocket battleship of 10,000 tons launched in 1936. The Graf Spee was more heavily gunned than any cruiser and had a top speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 12,500 miles (20,000 km). Wreck of the Graf Spee, 1940. Mahatma Gandhi never won a Nobel Peace Prize.

What happened HMS Ajax?

HMS Ajax (1798) was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1798. She fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and was burned by accident in 1807.

Who Sank Graf Spee?

But the Royal Navy recorded a spirit-lifting victory just days later, after British ships cornered the imposing German warship Graf Spee off the coast of South America, defeating it in the first major naval battle of World War II.

What happened to HMS Achilles?

HMS Achilles (1905) was a Warrior-class armoured cruiser launched in 1905 and sold in 1921. Achilles II was an armed trawler, hired in 1914 and sunk by a mine on 26 June 1918.

How many pocket battleships did Germany have?

Six small battleships, six light cruisers, and twelve destroyers constitute the entire German fleet under the treaty.

How was the gneisenau sunk?

During operations off Norway, the two ships engaged the battlecruiser HMS Renown and sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious. Gneisenau was damaged in the action with Renown and later torpedoed by a British submarine, HMS Clyde, off Norway.

Why is it called a pocket battleship?

Due to their heavy armament of six 28 cm (11 in) guns, high speed and long cruising range, the class was more capable of high seas operation than the old pre-dreadnought battleships they replaced; for this reason, they were referred to as "pocket battleships", particularly in the British press.

How many US aircraft carriers were lost in ww2?

Twelve aircraft carriers were sunk by the enemy during World War II -- five fleet carriers, a seaplane tender and six escort carriers. The loss of the Bismarck Sea was the last time that a U.S. carrier went down due to enemy action.

How many aircraft carriers did us have at the end of ww2?

By war's end in 1945, the United States Navy had added nearly 1,200 major combatant ships, including ninety-nine aircraft carriers, eight "fast" battleships, and ten prewar "old" battleships totaling over 70% of the world's total numbers and total tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater.

Is the Tirpitz still in Norway?

Despite a salvage operation in the 1950s, close to 20% of the Tirpitz is still scattered across the bottom of the Fjord.

Are any Bismarck survivors still alive?

The only surviving Bismarck officer still alive, the baron was the senior surviving officer when the 51,000-ton, 823-foot-long ship sank in 12,000 feet of water.

What is the most powerful battleship ever built?

Yamato 's Last Voyage. On her last morning, before the first American planes intercepted her, Yamato would have appeared indestructible. After all, she was the heaviest and most powerful battleship ever built, carrying the most formidable guns ever mounted at sea.

How badly damaged was the Graf Spee?

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.