Where is graf spee

Langsdorff thought they were in convoy rather than warships. They fought for 80 minutes and Langsdorff forced the Exeter to retreat before turning on the two smaller ships, the Ajax and Achilles a New Zealand vessel. Harwood disengaged and it looked as if Langsdorff had won the advantage, but rather than finishing off the battle, he retreated to Montevideo, Uruguay.

The damaged Graf Spee could not undertake the return journey to Germany. Langsdorff had been given three days in harbour by the government of Uruguay. British reinforcements were not due to arrive in the area until 19 December, but Langsdorff supposed that the British were prepared again for battle. He had been duped by false signals and by the assertion of his gunnery officer that a British cruiser was in the vicinity. He had the order to scuttle his ship if he could not fight his way to freedom.

Did he feel responsible for for bringing dishonour on his ship? Whatever the reason, for those who have spent years studying the events, he was above all an honourable man, who saved many lives. At the naval museum in Montevideo, retired Captain Ricardo Barre said: "The battle of the river Plate was fought by 'gentlemen of the sea'. Langsdorff sank merchant ships, but always picked up the crews.

Several of the British captains he rescued went to the funerals of the 36 German sailors who were killed. He preferred to save his young sailors' lives rather than sacrifice them for the fatherland in a battle he could not win. Mr Adolph, who stayed behind in Uruguay, remembers Langsdorff as a father figure, and as saying: "I've got too many young lads aboard". In Spanish still heavily accented, he added: "He didn't want us to be killed. But we respected his decision to take his own life.

It's the tradition, a captain dies with his ship. Mr Adolph married Lotte Klaas, one of the four daughters of a German immigrant couple who went to visit the wounded sailors. Their sixth floor flat is not so far from the huge Anglican church that looks out over the river. Inside is a memorial plaque to the 77 British and New Zealand sailors who died in the battle of the river Plate.

Salvage team in three-year plan to raise the Graf Spee. Inge Nedden left is continuing her efforts to lobby the German government to honor her father's moral courage. They will be joined by a British delegation at a ceremony at Captain Langsdorff's grave together with families who, without his actions, would not have existed.

Inge, who was only two when her father died and has no memory of him, said she treasured her mother's reminiscences of him. That enabled her to accept his decisions amid all the sorrow and in particular during our visit to Argentina in to feel great joy to see the young families of the crewmen and feel their affection.

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Deutsche Welle. Audiotrainer Deutschtrainer Die Bienenretter. Captain Hans Langsdorff center scuttled the Graf Spee to save his crew from certain death.