I have been to Montevideo,in 2014 as a sailor, it was a very proud and previledged moment to watch the range finder and the anchors after knowing the history of it. I watched this documentary in late 1998 when I was still at high school aspiring to be a sailor. It's sad the mighty ship had to be scuttled
My Father was the Rigger aboard the Salvage Barge that lost the Range Finder due to hasty rigging and a BIG swell. He stole the Radar and Manuals though. Steel Armour Samples went to Aberdeen and Salvaged Plate was delivered by him to the Argentine National Arsenal to be used for Systema 1927 Colt Pistola Frame manufacturing
Quite correct, Tim, and thanks. I suspect it's a common error, as I saw a New Zealand source make a similar mistake, perhaps due to her crew being heavy with Kiwi sailors. Thanks again, be well.
The Spee's skipper, Lansdorff, took the vessel out of the harbor with a skeleton crew and then got the rest of his men off before detonating the scuttling charges.
@michaelwright999 she is about 30 feet deep, buried under mud and sediment from several rivers that flow there, the waters of the Rio de la Plata are dark brown and don't let light come thru, even at just 8 meters its really hard to see anything
I am well aware of the history of the Battle of the River Plate. The other two cruisers in Force G, with Harwood commanding, were HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles. The point of my post was that none of the German sailors went down with the ship. There were no casualties involved in her self-destruction and thus the vessel is not a war grave. Perhaps you yourself should consider a little 'look it up' because there are obvious gaps in your knowledge of the entire course of events.
@michaelwright999 sorry, I'm not a diver, just an history lover, i'm from montevideo, and i saw the Gun and many other things of her in the "Museo Naval", also, sport diving in those waters is forbidden, because it's the entrance to the montevideo docks, heavy naval traffic is constant in those waters
Amazing. I remember seeing a picture of Graf Spee as she sailed out of Montevideo harbor on her last voyage; thousands of Uraguayans lined the shore watching her leave. Did they have to obtain permission from Germany before salvaging the gun? Is it now in a museum?
No, Germany sold the salvage rights to a "uruguayan" company in 1942. It was actually a cover for the British government. Don't know what happened after that but I'm pretty sure it belongs to the uruguayan government now, the wreck is only a few nautical miles from the cost, well within uruguayan national waters. The gun is in the Uruguayan Navy's museum I believe and the rangefinder an one anchor are on display in the port of Montevideo. They also recovered the bronze eagle that decorated the ship's stern but that was never shown to the public due to complaints by the German government (it has a swastika). It's still sitting in a box in one of the Navy's wherehouses.
@@leandrobalino475 I have been to Montevideo,in 2014 as a sailor, it was a very proud and previledged moment to watch the range finder and the anchors after knowing the history of it. I watched this documentary in late 1998 when I was still at high school aspiring to be a sailor. It's sad the mighty ship had to be scuttled.
Before this, they lifted the tower mast looking for evidence of Graf Spee's "Seektact" radar. But it wasn't there. It was in Portsmouth as Royal Navy divers had removed it not long after the ship sank!
I love it when historical wrecks are found. I fucking hate when they start to bring up "artifacts" those ships are graves. All they are is graverobbers! Leave them sailors rest in peace for fucks sake!
@michaelwright999 even if i want, i can't, because these are maritime route waters, it's forbidden by the coast guard, the only cases that diving is permitted is when government allows salvage operations like this
BTW, is it true that the Germans planned for Graf Spee and her sisters to be up-gunned to 15"? I had heard that was the plans for the larger ships including Scharnhorst.
It was planned only for the Scharnhorst class, they were supposed to have 15" guns later in the war. But that never happened. Never heard about rearming Graf Spee and her sisters.
@michaelwright999 Raising a sunk ship is forbidden as far as i know, because it's like a memorial of the ones that died on the battle, even if it's possible because these are sweet waters and they dont corrode the steel bad, if they haven't done it yet, it must be for some reason, and i think is because of that, forbidden
It was skuttled by the crew and they left it to sink so the British would not have it or see it seized by neutral host nation. There was no battle so it's not covered by war grave law.
If your Pops was on Exeter he was nowhere near the Spee when she was scuttled. Look it up, Skippy. Look it up. Hell, you'd be better informed if you just watched the movie. Enjoy your research. You're never too old to learn new things. For instance, the USS Salem, a late-war heavy cruiser. Ajax and Achilles and Exeter were portrayed by actual British cruisers. Achilles actually was herself, having been transferred to the Indian Navy after the war and lent out for the film. Pops tell you that?
These poeple in here arguing over who knows more aboit history or who was there or my dad did this or what ever. The more you carry on the more childess it gets forget all of you
