The 4th engagement in the Atlantic Campaign...
On 21 August 1939, the German “pocket battleship” Admiral Graf Spee, under the command of Kapitän zur See Hans Langsdorff, departed Wilhelmshaven, bound for the South Atlantic. When war broke out with the British on 3 September, she was still steaming south. On 11 September, while transferring supplies from the tanker Altmark, Graf Spee's Arado 196 floatplane spotted the British heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland approaching the two German ships. KptzS Langsdorff ordered both vessels to depart at high speed, successfully evading the British cruiser. However the British were taking other actions; 28 September saw the battlecruiser HMS Renown and the escort carrier HMS Argus deployed to the South Atlantic as “Force A”. On 30 September, again with the help of her floatplane, Graf Spee claimed her first prize, the British merchant Clement, but not before Clement sent an ‘RRR’ signal (attacked by surface raider). HMS Exeter was in the vicinity and responded, but failed to make contact. In October, Graf Spee had more successes. The merchant ships Newton Beach, Ashlea and Huntsman were sunk without signaling 'RRR'. SS Trevanion and another ship (an addition to those sunk historically) were also sunk, but they each got off an 'RRR' signal. In early November, KptzS Langsdorff sailed his ship into the Indian Ocean south of Madagascar. Here Graf Spee sank the tanker Africa Shell and another ship (an addition to those sunk historically), and again they each got off an 'RRR' signal. During this time, Graf Spee rendezvoused with Altmark to refuel.
Graf Spee returned to the Atlantic, and 20 November found her steaming north at 20 knots approximately 400nm southwest of St. Helena under scattered clouds. The sea state was 4, with wind 240o at 15 knots, and the visibility was 37,500 yards.
At 0700, smoke was sighted astern. Licking her chops for another merchant ship, KptzS Langsdorff reversed course, and accelerated to 25 knots. Unfortunately, Graf Spee’s Arado 196 floatplane was down for repairs.
The smoke was not from a merchant ship however. Steaming north at 24 knots were the battlecruiser HMS Renown, under the command of Captain Charles Simeon, and the light cruiser HMS Ajax, under the command of Captain Charles Woodhouse. Upon their spotting smoke dead ahead, they accelerated to 29 knots (Renown’s top speed) to investigate. Renown began prepping her Fairey III floatplanes and Ajax her Fairey Seafox.
At 0712, when Graf Spee’s lookouts identified the battlecruiser Renown, KptzS Langsdorff could only reflect on the irony of the conversation he’d had with Captain Patrick Dove of MV Africa Shell (who bears a striking resemblance to ‘M’ from the early James Bond movies, played by Bernard Lee…) a few weeks before, when he’d boasted the British only had three ships, Repulse, Renown, and Hood, that were fast enough to catch him and that he couldn’t outgun – on paper anyway.
Graf Spee again reversed course, and Renown and Graf Spee opened fire on each other, ineffectively. Ajax swung out on Renown’s starboard side and worked up to 32 knots. At 0718, Renown had to turn away to the southwest to launch her floatplanes.
0730 was the moment of decision. Ajax turned away to the southwest to launch her floatplane. Meanwhile, Renown’s first Fairey III came within range of Graf Spee to observe her fall of shot. Graf Spee’s 8.8cm FlaK promptly shot down the aircraft, but not before Renown found the range and landed a 15” salvo on target. Both of Graf Spee’s 28cm (11”) main battery turrets were knocked out, and flooding (1 hull box) reduced her speed to 23 knots.
Apart from forcing them to turn away to launch their aircraft, the wind direction favored the British, as Graf Spee, even though making smoke, failed to mask herself completely. Renown landed another salvo at 0736, knocking out one of Graf Spee’s 15cm (5.9”) secondary turrets, some flooding (1 hull box) and a knocking out a main bulkhead (another hull box), reducing Graf Spee to 17 knots.
At 0742, Graf Spee’s damage control parties quickly repaired the original bulkhead damage, but even though she finally managed a course to mask herself from direct line of sight, she was hit again by Renown, thanks to the latter’s floatplane spotting. One of Graf Spee’s 8.8cm FlaK mounts was destroyed, but not before she shot down Ajax’s Fairey Seafox. Half of Graf Spee’s 8 diesel engines were knocked offline, and again a main bulkhead was opened to the sea (and another hull box). Graf Spee was wallowing along at just 12 knots.
0748 saw Ajax fire for the first and only time, missing. Also, the last futile German success, as Graf Spee’s FlaK damaged Renown’s second Fairey III floatplane, forcing it to abort. However, Graf Spee’s exhausted damage control teams were unable to stem the flooding from the last main bulkhead hit, and shrouded in smoke, she continued to settle.
At 0800 it was obviously hopeless, and KptzS Langsdorff ordered Graf Spee’s crew to abandon ship. The British ceased firing, and Graf Spee slowly sank, finally slipping beneath the waves at 0906. Perhaps mindful of HMS Rodney’s torpedoing by a U-boat immediately after an engagement three weeks before (see previous post), as the British moved in to rescue survivors, a lookout reported seeing a periscope, and reluctantly, they were forced to abandon rescue operations. Only 107 out of Graf Spee’s crew of over 1,000 were saved. KptzS Langsdorff was not among them.
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