Det
tyske lommeslagskipet Admiral Graf Spee ble lagt ned ved Reichsmarine
Werft i Wilhelmshaven 1. Oktober 1932, og sto ferdig 30. Juni 1934.
Etter å ha fullført installering av bevæpning og
utstyr, ble skipet offisiellt satt i tjeneste og flagget heist den 6.
Januar 1936. Frem til starten av den andre verdenskrig gjorde Admiral
Graf Spee øvelser i Østersjøen, og kom på
offisiellt besøk i flere land i Europa. Kort tid etter den tyske
invasjonen ov Polen i September 1939, ble Admiral Graf Spee sendt for
å motvirke og hindre den allierte sjøfarten i Atlanterhavet.
Sammen med det sivile hjelpeskipet Altmark, senket eller overtok Admiral
Graf Spee under kommando av Hans Langsdorrf utallige skip og skapte
stor uro i det britiske Admiralitetet. Den 13. Desember 1939 støtte
Admiral Graf Spee på de britiske skipene HMS Ajax, HMS Achiles
og HMS Exeter utenfor kysten av Sør Amerika. Kampen som utspilte
seg her fikk store oppslag i nyhetene, og ble døpt til Slaget
ved River Plate. HMS Exeter ble sterkt skadet i slaget, men også
det tyske slagskipet fikk kritisk skade, selv om dette var ukjent for
britene. Mer enn hundre tyske menn omkom under kampen, og mange ble
såret. Hans Langsdorrf bestemte seg for å søke havn
i Montevideo for å reperare skadene og skaffe hjelp til de mange
sårede. Men reperasjoner lot seg ikke gjøre med utstyret
de hadde med seg, og noen hjelp var det ikke å få fra de
Brasilianske myndighetene. De sårede soldatene ble brakt til sykehus,
og Hans Langsdorrf fikk tid til å besøke det tyske konsulat.
Trolig på grunn av den politiske situasjon og de store nyhetsopplagene
situasjonen hadde fått i internasjonal media, fikk Hans Langsdorrf
beskjed fra myndighetene i Uruguay om at skipet måtte forlate
Montevideo innen 48 timer som internasjonal lov tilsa. Spenningen var
stor da Admiral Graf Spee forlot havnen, og en stor mengde jounalister
og og andre mennensker hadde tatt turen ned til havnen for å følge
slaget de forventet skulle utspille seg mellom det tyske skipet og de
britiske styrkene som hadde samlet seg utenfor kysten. Men til alles
store overraskelse hadde ikke Hans Lundsdorrf tenkt å ta opp kampen
og kaste bort flere menneskeliv. Like utenfor Montevideo senket mannskapet
sitt eget skip, og det stolte lommeslagskipet endte sin korte og intense
karriere langt hjemmefra de tyske farvann. Den samme skjebne fikk også
Hans Langsdorrf, som senere tok sitt eget liv. Admiral Graf Spee ble
stående høyt i vannet og brenne, og ble totalt ødelagt
av brannene som mannskapet satte igang. Idag er det stort sett bare
rester igjen av dette stolte krigsskipet. Vraket ligger idag en dybde
av ni meter utenfor Montevideo, og gjennom årene er det blitt
berget mye fra vraket...
The
German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was laid down at Reichsmarine
Werft in Wilhelmshaven 1. October 1932, and was finished 30. June
1934. After having completed installation of armaments and equipment,
the ship was officially put in service and the flag raised 6.
January 1936. Until the start of second world war did exercise
in the Baltic Sea and paid official visits to several countries
in Europe. Shortly after the German invasion of Poland in September
1939, Admiral Graf Spee was sent to prevent and disturb the allied
shipping in the Atlantic. Together with the civilian support ship
Altmark, Admiral Graf Spee under command of Hans Langsdorrf sank
or took over several and created great disturbance to the British
Admiralty. On 13. December Admiral Graf Spee run in to the British
ships HMS
Ajax, HMS Achiles og HMS Exeter outside of the coast
of South America. The battle that took place here received a lot
of public attention in the media, and was named the Battle of
River Plate. HMS Exeter was heavily damaged during this battle,
but also the the German battleship received critical damage, even
if this was unknown to the British. More than one hundred Germans
lost their lives, and many injured. Hans
Langsdorrf decided to seek harbor in Montevideo
to repair the damages and receive aid to the many wounded. But
repairs was not possible with the gear they had brought with them,
and no help was given by the authorities in Uruguay. The wounded
soldiers were brought to a hospital and Hans Langsdorrf had time
to visit the German consulate. Probably because of the political
situation and great news the situation had received in international
media, Hans Langsdorrf received the message that they had to leave
Montevideo within 48 hours like international law said. The expectations
were great when Admiral Graf Spee left the harbor, and a great
horde of journalists and other people had taken the tour down
to the harbor to follow the battle they expected to take place
outside between the German ship and the British forces that had
gathered outside the coast. But to everyone's big surprise Hans
Langsdorrf had no intention to take up the fight and waste more
human lives. Just outside Montevideo the crew sunk their own ship,
and the proud pocket battleship ended there its short but intense
career a long way from German waters. The same fate happened to
Hans Langsdorrf, who later took his own life. Admiral Graf Spee
was left standing high in the waters and burn, and was completely
destroyed by the fires the crew pulled of. Today there are mainly
just remains left from this proud warship. The wreck lies on a
depth of nine meters outside Montevideo, and through the years
there has been salvaged a lot from the wreck...
...
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Admiral Graf
Spee |
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Steel |
616,6x 71,0x 24,1 f. |
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| \ 13600 |
Wilhelmshaven ( D ) 1934 |
( D ) |
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Engines: 8 x MAN diesels
Engine output: 53650bhp
Speed: 26 knots
Aircraft 2 x Arado Ar196 seaplanes
Main guns: 6 x 11"
Secondary guns: 8 x 5.9"
Torpedo tubes: 8 x 21"
Supplementary weapons: 6 x 3.46"
Armour Turrets 5.5"
Belt 2.3"
Deck 1.6"
In
the Battle of the River Plate, one of Germany's fabled pocket battleships
faced violent action for the first time. Germany built these armoured
ships to add strength and prestige to the fleet that was badly depleted
after World War I. Conceived in 1928, the new warships were designed
according to weight restrictions ( limited to10,000 tons ) imposed
by the 1919 Versailles Treaty. Carrying massive 11 inch guns and bearing
high, dominant control towers they resembled small battleships. The
brilliantly engineered warships, with prototype diesel engines and
electrically welded hulls, remained an enigma to potential enemies.
Reputed to be faster than a battleship and more powerful than a cruiser
they caused some alarm in international naval circles. Admiral Graf
Spee, commissioned in 1936, was the most modern of these ships. Dubbed
pocket battleships, Deutschland, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee
held the premier position in the German fleet in the thirties. They
presented a powerful face to the world's navies. But, although the
ships exceeded the weight restriction of Versailles they lacked compatible
armoured protection for their class. Their 80mm armoured sidebelt
and skimpy decks belied any claim to battleship status. This was a
well kept secret until the Battle of the River Plate…
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