What does Graf Spee mean in German?
Admiral Graf Spee was a Deutschland-class “Panzerschiff” (armored ship), nicknamed a “pocket battleship” by the British, which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II.
Was the Graf Spee a battleship?
Graf Spee, in full Admiral Graf von Spee, German pocket battleship of 10,000 tons launched in 1936. The Graf Spee was more heavily gunned than any cruiser and had a top speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 12,500 miles (20,000 km). Wreck of the Graf Spee, 1940.
How many ships did the Admiral Graf Spee sink?
eight merchant ships
When war broke out in September 1939, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee, commanded by Hans Langsdorff, was patrolling in the Atlantic. She represented a grave threat to Allied shipping, sinking eight merchant ships between September and December.
What was the largest battleship ever built?
Meet the Yamato: The Largest Battleship Ever Built (With the Largest Guns Ever) Battleship Yamato during sea trials October 30, 1941. The Yamato was certainly a record-breaking battleship for many different reasons.
Can the Graf Spee still be seen?
The Graf Spee’s captain scuttled the ship before committing suicide, and it has remained in waters less than 25 feet (7.5 meters) deep only miles outside the port of Montevideo ever since.
Did the captain of the Graf Spee go down with his ship?
He was 19 when he joined the Graff Spee, first in the engine room and later in the guns’ turrets. The battleship was sunk by its commander, Capt. Hans Langsdorff, in the River Plate 17 December 1939 to keep it from falling into British hands.
Where are the remains of the Graf Spee?
Montevideo
The Graf Spee’s captain scuttled the ship before committing suicide, and it has remained in waters less than 25 feet (7.5 meters) deep only miles outside the port of Montevideo ever since.
Where is the Graf Spee today?