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And in case y'all are wondering, this is what the Uruguay looks like. It was built by Vulkan in Stettin and was launched on 12 April 1910. At 1400 t with a maximum speed of 20 kts and armed with 2 x 4.7 inch guns, 4 x 12 pdrs and 6 x 1 pdrs, it was a light weight on the day of the battle and would not have lasted long against just one of the British cruisers, let alone the Graf Spee.
River Plate 12
Almost none of British accounts of the battle recount the Uruguay's interaction in the running chase Achilles put up against the Graf Spee as it ran down the Uruguayan coast into Montevideo. At the time of the early morning engagement, Cdre Henry Harwood signalled to all shipping in the area that battle was commencing and to steer clear. This got the Uruguayan authorities to send the Uruguay out to observe. Keeping her distance throughout the the day, it was when the Achilles, Ajax and Graf Spee (Exeter had left by this time) headed for the Uruguayan coast that the little gun boat gave chase. At 1830 the Uruguay spotted the two British cruisers converging on the Graf Spee (according to a report by ther Uruguay's captain Capt F.J. Fuentes). 10 minutes later the Uruguay spotted the Graf Spee firing at the British ships and the Uruguay hoisted a signal (BV) to the Graf Spee asking to clarify her signals - Fuentes concludes that it was a signal warning of impending battle, but he wasn't overly clear in his report.
At 7pm Fuentes makes the decision to pass between the ships and to head ointo Uruguayan territorial waters to observe the battle, briefly putting his ship in the firing line. The Achilles at this stage is steaming hard at 32 kts and passes behind the Uruguay, 3000m from her stern and by 1950 enters into Uruguayan territorial waters, 8 miles from Punta Negra.
News of the scrap earlier in the day spread quickly through Montevideo after the lighthouse keeper at Punta del Este had spotted smoke in the distance, and a number of the population, excited by the war having reached their doorstep, began to head north from the city and line the coast to see if they could see any action. On the shore between Montevideo and Punta del Este, cars and spectators lined the beaches searching the horizon. By nightfall, those gathered could see gun flashes and smoke, indicating the course of the action. This last fight was also witnessed by passengers and crew aboard the French liner Formose, which the Graf Spee passed close to at around 1900. The liner's captain advised all passengers to don their life jackets as a precaution.
The Graf Spee, by this time is steaming westwards between the Achilles and the Banco Ingles, firing at the ship. The Ajax had stopped 12 miles south of Punta Ballena and lowered her battle ensign and took no further part in the action. At 2042, the Uruguay observed the flashes of gunfire in the dusk as Graf Spee fired her last salvoes at the Achilles. Fuentes' report acknowledges in his report that the better part of the engagement he witnessed took place in territorial waters, and later meeting with Harwood, there was some, though cordial, disagreement with their versions of events, Harwood claiming that the Graf Spee fired on the British ships first, when a protest about the Achilles opening fire on the Graf Spee while steaming only 8 miles from the Uruguayan coast was put forward.
A small but important aspect of the battle that gets overlooked, but the crux of which, the ships entering Uruguayan waters, drove much of the diplomatic stoush that erupted when the Graf Spee turned up late at night in Montevideo harbour unannounced.
Almost none of British accounts of the battle recount the Uruguay's interaction in the running chase Achilles put up against the Graf Spee as it ran down the Uruguayan coast into Montevideo. At the time of the early morning engagement, Cdre Henry Harwood signalled to all shipping in the area that battle was commencing and to steer clear. This got the Uruguayan authorities to send the Uruguay out to observe. Keeping her distance throughout the the day, it was when the Achilles, Ajax and Graf Spee (Exeter had left by this time) headed for the Uruguayan coast that the little gun boat gave chase. At 1830 the Uruguay spotted the two British cruisers converging on the Graf Spee (according to a report by ther Uruguay's captain Capt F.J. Fuentes). 10 minutes later the Uruguay spotted the Graf Spee firing at the British ships and the Uruguay hoisted a signal (BV) to the Graf Spee asking to clarify her signals - Fuentes concludes that it was a signal warning of impending battle, but he wasn't overly clear in his report.
At 7pm Fuentes makes the decision to pass between the ships and to head ointo Uruguayan territorial waters to observe the battle, briefly putting his ship in the firing line. The Achilles at this stage is steaming hard at 32 kts and passes behind the Uruguay, 3000m from her stern and by 1950 enters into Uruguayan territorial waters, 8 miles from Punta Negra.
News of the scrap earlier in the day spread quickly through Montevideo after the lighthouse keeper at Punta del Este had spotted smoke in the distance, and a number of the population, excited by the war having reached their doorstep, began to head north from the city and line the coast to see if they could see any action. On the shore between Montevideo and Punta del Este, cars and spectators lined the beaches searching the horizon. By nightfall, those gathered could see gun flashes and smoke, indicating the course of the action. This last fight was also witnessed by passengers and crew aboard the French liner Formose, which the Graf Spee passed close to at around 1900. The liner's captain advised all passengers to don their life jackets as a precaution.
The Graf Spee, by this time is steaming westwards between the Achilles and the Banco Ingles, firing at the ship. The Ajax had stopped 12 miles south of Punta Ballena and lowered her battle ensign and took no further part in the action. At 2042, the Uruguay observed the flashes of gunfire in the dusk as Graf Spee fired her last salvoes at the Achilles. Fuentes' report acknowledges in his report that the better part of the engagement he witnessed took place in territorial waters, and later meeting with Harwood, there was some, though cordial, disagreement with their versions of events, Harwood claiming that the Graf Spee fired on the British ships first, when a protest about the Achilles opening fire on the Graf Spee while steaming only 8 miles from the Uruguayan coast was put forward.
A small but important aspect of the battle that gets overlooked, but the crux of which, the ships entering Uruguayan waters, drove much of the diplomatic stoush that erupted when the Graf Spee turned up late at night in Montevideo harbour unannounced.
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