WW2/Battles of WW2/Hour-by-Hour • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
Hour-by-hour account of the first major naval battle of the war — three Royal Navy cruisers cornering the German raider Admiral Graf Spee off the coast of Uruguay. (13 December 1939)
Chronological Storyline (16 Milestones)
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Ajax loses two turrets
Graf Spee hit HMS Ajax, destroying both her aft gun turrets and killing several crew. Commodore Harwood was forced to reduce Ajax's exposure, relying more heavily on Achilles while maintaining the pursuit. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ajax_(12)
Dec 13, 1939 CE
British cruisers shadow Graf Spee
Harwood's damaged cruisers followed at a safe distance, maintaining visual contact. With Exeter withdrawing and Ajax badly damaged, only Achilles remained fully combat-capable, but Harwood concealed this from the Germans. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_River_Plate
The cruiser HMS ACHILLES seen from HMS AJAX at the Battle of the River Plate. By Royal Navy official photographer - This photograph HU 205 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 4007-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2804777
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Graf Spee breaks off action
Captain Langsdorff broke off the engagement and made smoke, heading for the River Plate estuary. He intended to seek repairs at the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay, believing the harbor could provide refuge. Source — Wikipedia:
Hans Langsdorff, oficial de navío alemán By Unknown author - (January 1977) Revista Panorama, no. 8, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6316085
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Exeter critically damaged
A direct hit from Graf Spee started a fire aboard HMS Exeter and destroyed her remaining operational turret. With only secondary armament functioning and heavy casualties, Captain Bell turned away to fight another day. Source — Wikipedia: )
The Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Exeter (68) off Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone, circa in 1939. By U.S. Navy - Official U.S. Navy photo NH 60814 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48784192
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Graf Spee scores hit on Achilles
An 11-inch shell from Graf Spee struck HMNZS Achilles, killing four crewmen and damaging her director control tower. The cruiser switched to local control and continued fighting despite the casualties. Source — Wikipedia: )
HMNZ Achilles By Allan C. Green - This image is available from the Our Collections of the State Library of Victoria under the Accession Number:, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10812391
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Ajax and Achilles engage Graf Spee
The light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles closed range and opened fire on Graf Spee with their 6-inch guns, forcing Langsdorff to split his main armament between two targets and relieving pressure on Exeter. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ajax_(12)
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Graf Spee sights British ships
Lookouts on the Admiral Graf Spee spotted masts on the horizon. Captain Langsdorff initially believed them to be a convoy escorted by a single cruiser, closing to attack. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_River_Plate
The cruiser HMS ACHILLES seen from HMS AJAX at the Battle of the River Plate. By Royal Navy official photographer - This photograph HU 205 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 4007-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2804777Graf Spee Fights On, No Surrender, No Scuttling | The Battle Of The River Plate | With Drachinifel
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Commodore Harwood identifies enemy
Commodore Henry Harwood aboard HMS Ajax identified the vessel as the Admiral Graf Spee. He ordered his three cruisers, Ajax, Achilles, and Exeter, to split up and attack from different directions. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Harwood
Admiral Sir Henry Harwood, Kcb, Obe, Commander in Chief, Mediterranean. 31 August 1942, Alexandria. By Ernest Edward Allen - This image has been extracted from another file, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83448585
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Graf Spee anchors at Montevideo
Admiral Graf Spee entered the harbor at Montevideo, Uruguay. Under the Hague Convention, a belligerent warship in a neutral port could stay only 24 hours unless repairs necessary for seaworthiness required more time. Source — Wikipedia:
This is a photo of a Uruguayan monument identified by the ID By Eduardo Ruggieri - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28767335
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Graf Spee opens fire on Exeter
Admiral Graf Spee fired her 11-inch guns at HMS Exeter, hitting her with the third salvo. The shell destroyed the bridge, killing or wounding most of the officers there and crippling the ship's forward firepower. Source — Wikipedia:
The cruiser HMS ACHILLES seen from HMS AJAX at the Battle of the River Plate. By Royal Navy official photographer - This photograph HU 205 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 4007-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2804777
Dec 13, 1939 CE
Graf Spee sustains damage
Concentrated 6-inch fire from Ajax and Achilles damaged Graf Spee's fuel system and killed several crew members. Captain Langsdorff realized his ship could not sustain a prolonged engagement without risking total disablement. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Admiral_Graf_Spee
For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Panzerschiff "Admiral Graf Spee" By Unknown - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5372013
Dec 14, 1939 CE
Diplomatic battle over repairs
Uruguayan authorities inspected Graf Spee and granted a 72-hour stay. British diplomats argued for immediate departure, while German officials sought extensions, claiming extensive damage required weeks of repair work. Source — Wikipedia:
The cruiser HMS ACHILLES seen from HMS AJAX at the Battle of the River Plate. By Royal Navy official photographer - This photograph HU 205 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 4007-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2804777
Dec 16, 1939 CE
British deception intensifies
British intelligence spread false reports that a large Royal Navy force, including the battleship HMS Renown and aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, waited offshore. In reality, only Cumberland had arrived to reinforce Harwood. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cumberland_(57)
British heavy cruiser HMS CUMBERLAND in Grand Harbour, Malta By Keast J E V (Sub Lt) Royal Navy official photographer - This photograph A 31120 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 4700-01), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129996527
Dec 17, 1939 CE
Graf Spee scuttled in estuary
Captain Langsdorff, believing a superior British force awaited him, ordered Admiral Graf Spee scuttled. Explosive charges detonated, and the ship burned and sank in shallow waters four miles outside Montevideo. Source — Wikipedia:
For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Panzerschiff "Admiral Graf Spee" By Unknown - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5372013
Dec 17, 1939 CE
Graf Spee departs Montevideo
With the 72-hour deadline expired, Admiral Graf Spee weighed anchor and departed Montevideo. Thousands of spectators watched from the shore as the ship moved into the estuary under the Uruguayan sunset. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Admiral_Graf_Spee
For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Panzerschiff "Admiral Graf Spee" By Unknown - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5372013
Dec 19, 1939 CE
Captain Langsdorff takes his life
Hans Langsdorff shot himself in a Buenos Aires hotel room, wrapped in the Imperial German naval ensign. He had ensured his crew was safely ashore and stated he took responsibility for the ship's fate. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Langsdorff
Hans Langsdorff, oficial de navío alemán By Unknown author - (January 1977) Revista Panorama, no. 8, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6316085
