The Battle of the River Plate was the first British naval engagement of World War II, ending with the scuttling of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
Key Facts
- Date of battle
- 13 December 1939
- German ship scuttled
- 17 December 1939
- Graf Spee commanded by
- Captain Hans Langsdorff
- Allied squadron commanded by
- Commodore Henry Harwood
- Allied ships engaged
- HMS Ajax, HMNZS Achilles, HMS Exeter
- Langsdorff's stay in Montevideo
- Limited to 72 hours by Uruguayan authorities
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee had been deployed to the South Atlantic before the war began in August 1939 and commenced commerce raiding against Allied merchant shipping on 26 September 1939. The British Admiralty dispatched multiple search groups to locate and neutralise the raider, with Commodore Harwood's squadron eventually sighting her near the Río de la Plata estuary off Argentina and Uruguay.
On 13 December 1939, Graf Spee engaged Harwood's squadron of three cruisers in battle. HMS Exeter was severely damaged and forced to withdraw toward the Falkland Islands, while Ajax and Achilles sustained moderate damage. Graf Spee herself suffered critical damage to her fuel system, compelling Captain Langsdorff to seek refuge in the neutral Uruguayan port of Montevideo for emergency repairs.
Uruguay restricted Graf Spee's stay to 72 hours. Believing a superior British force awaited him at sea, Langsdorff ordered the ship scuttled on 17 December 1939. He died by suicide two days later. The engagement eliminated one of Germany's most effective commerce raiders and provided Britain with an early naval success in the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Commodore Henry Harwood.
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain Hans Langsdorff.