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KMS Deutchland

Lutzow (ex-Deutchland) 1933-1945

The Deutschland (later renamed Lutzow) was laid down by Deutsche Werke on 05 Febuary 1929, launched on 19 May 1931, and commissioned on 01 April 1933. In February 1940, Adolf Hitler decided that the loss of a ship named after Germany could be a bad omen. The Deutschland was renamed Lutzow and reclassified as a heavy cruiser in February 1940. She saw action during World War II, where she was torpedoed twice, in 1940 then again in 1941. She took part in the Battle of The Barents Sea, and was used as a training ship until 1944. She aided in the evacuation of the eastern provinces, and was sunk by bombs on 16 April 1945. She was raised and used as a stationary gunnery platform after that, until her scuttling was forced on 04 May 1945.

Admiral Scheer 1934-1945

The Admiral Scheer served on the Non-Intervention Patrol during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-37. She was initially troubled by main diesel problems, and in 1939-40 she was in dry dock to be refitted as a heavy cruiser. She was withdrawn from active service for a general refit: the solid, rather typical pocket battleship control-tower and bridge were replaced by a lighter type of mast, and she was also given a clipper bow. She did not begin independent raidings until November 1940.

Scheer was in dock from February to July, 1940, for widespread alterations, and even after that she lay alongside the North Mole of Entrance III in Wilhelmshaven for quite a time to have her guns adjusted. A British Admiralty message on 22 November 1940 stated urgent considerations that demanded redistribution of the British Mediterranean fleet. These factors included: the appearance of the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer in the North Atlantic; uncertainty as to whether the Admiral Scheer had proceeded south; the existence of, probably, five disguised enemy surface raiders in the South Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, where they were taking a heavy toll of shipping; and the need for escorts for troop convoys carrying reinforcements to theMiddle East. "Under these circumstances," said the First Sea Lord, "it is considered imperative that raider hunting groups shall be formed without delay." For these hunting groups the Admiralty wanted the battleships Renown from Force H and Ramillies, either Ark Royal or Formidable, and two cruisers, Manchester andSouthampton. As a contingency, the battleship Valiant was to be transferredfrom the eastern to the western basin.

The Admiral Scheer was a comerce raider in the Indian Ocean between 1940 and 1941, during which time she distinguished herself by sinking 19 [or 17] allied merchantmen. On her fifth operation she faultily concentrated her effort on the armed merchant cruiser Jervis Bay, allowing the convoy to scatter; even though the armed merchantman was sunk. Afterwards she moved to the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean before arriving at port saftly in April 1941. Her greatest contribution was disruption to Allied shipping. Three hunter groups failed to locate her and all convoys were to be accompanied by a battleship, of which the Britain have not too many to spare. In spite of the early success, the Admiral Scheer spent the rest of her career in the Baltic and the far north, fighting Soviet forces and helping with training duty. She also operated in a few fruitless forays against Arctic convoys. She took part in few actions after that, and was sunk by bombing on 09-10 April 1945.

On April 9, 1945, British bombers attacked her as she lay in the harbour basin between the Arsenal and the Deutscher Werft, and, because her guns had been dismantled for an overhaul, the ship which had been undefeated at sea was now helpless and the bombs rained down on her; a few weeks later the victors filled in the basin altogether.

Admiral Graf Spee - 1936-1939

Admiral Graf Spee, a 12,340-ton (standard displacement) built at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, was commissioned in January 1936. Following shakedown Admiral Graf Spee was, for a few years, flagship of the German fleet. During 1936-1938 she made training cruises in the Atlantic and Baltic, served off Spain during that Nation's civil war, and, in May 1937, was present off Spithead during the Coronation Naval Review held in honor of British King George VI. In April and May 1939 she participated in German naval exercises in the Atlantic. As political tensions in Europe aproached a climax in mid-August 1939, Admiral Graf Spee again left Germany for the south Atlantic, where she remained hidden as World War II began early in the following month. Sometime either shortly before or shortly after the declaration of war she acquired a camouflage scheme, consisting of a white "false bow wave" on the hull and some irregular stripes of at least one darker color on the superstructure and turrets. The new paint was applied by the ship's crew - who also built a false second funnel to confuse observers. Beginning in late September she cruised actively against British shipping in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, capturing and sinking nine ships and causing Germany's opponents a great deal of anxiety and effort.

The Allies formed seven hunting groups in the Atlantic and one in the Indian Ocean to look for Graf Spee, totalling three battleships, four aircraft carriers, and 16 cruisers. More groups were assembled later. In October 1940, the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal was redeployed to Freetown to operate off the African coast in the hunt for the German commerce raider Graf Spee. The carrier was assigned to Force K, and sailed with the battlecruiser HMS Renown to the South Atlantic. On 9 October, aircraft from Ark Royal spotted the German tanker Altmark, which supplied Graf Spee. The tanker was disguised as the US vessel Delmar, which fooled the British into passing her by. On 5 November, Ark Royal captured the German merchant SS Uhenfels, which was attempting to reach Germany. The ship was later taken into British service as a cargo ship and renamed Empire Ability. Several neutral merchant ships were also spotted by the carrier's aircraft, twice causing crews to believe they were under attack and abandon ship. On 6 December Graf Spee rendezvoused with the supply ship Altmark, which had kept her supplied with fuel during her raiding operations, then headed for South America, where rich hunting among enemy merchant ships was expected.

On 13 December 1939, off the mouth of the Rio de la Plata (or River Plate), Admiral Graf Spee encountered three British cruisers and fought the first significant naval battle of the Second World War, the Battle of the River Plate. Admiral Graf Spee was found by the British Hunting Group G - the 8-inch gunned cruiser HMS Exeter, and 6-inch gunned light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles - in the Battle of the River Plate off the South American coast between Uruguay and Argentina. The Graf Spee engaged the three British cruisers. The Exeter was almost finished; had the battle continued there is not much doubt that the Graf Spee could and would have taken the Exeter down with her. Fortunately for the British, Graf Spee ran when he did.

Exeter's early 8-inch hit wrecked the boiler room, shutting down the fuel-separation system. Chief Engineer Commander Klepp advised the captain they could not repair the damage at sea. Klepp estimated the ship had about sixteen hours of running time, using pre-cleaned fuel from the day tanks. They could not replace the rapidly depleting fuel, so the ship was denied the possibility of outrunning her pursuers on the open sea. Captain Hans Langsdorff of the Graf Spee sought time to repair his vessel. After taking damage, with more than sixty of her crew dead, she put into the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay to make repairs.

Montevideo is on the north shore of the Rio de la Plata and has well-protected harbor and facilities. Much of the South Atlantic fishing fleet is based in Montevideo. The city is the hub of the Uruguayan rail and highway systems that connect with the Argentine and Brazilian networks, as well as for air and sea routes. Montevideo is the commercial, industrial, financial, medical, and cultural center of the country. Over half of the population of Montevideo lives in the metropolitan area. Major industries include slaughtering and meatpacking, flour milling, clothing and textile manufacturing, oil refining, petrochemical and cement production, and power generation. Montevideo is famous for beaches and seaside resorts that stretch eastward from the city to Punta del Este on the Atlantic Ocean.

Admiral Graf Spee was given three days by the Uruguayan government, as stipulated in international laws of armed conflict governing the conduct of neutrals - the Hague Convention of 1907 Concerning the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Naval War. The damage was surveyed by a British observer on 14 December 1939, who reported that the port midship 6" gun was unserviceable, the starboard anti-aircraft guns appeared out of action, rangefinders were out of action, the aircraft was wrecked, there were shell holes in the control tower and two holes below the waterline. In total, there was evidence of 30-60 hits. Captain Langsdorff and the Chief Engineer carefully kept the fuel problem secret. Although the specific details were signaled to SKL in January 1940 this information lay buried from public knowledge for sixty years. At least two weeks were needed to make the Graf Spee seaworthy.

When repairs proved impossible in the time allowed, he was obliged to sail his ship out of the harbor of Montevideo. Captain Langsdorff, and probably also the German Naval Staff, had fallen victim to skillful British propaganda which had created the impression of a large fleet in the vicinity of the La Plata estuary waiting to annihilate the Graf Spee. The cruiser Cumberland was the only reenforcement to the British forces watching the crippled German ship; the Ark Royal and Renown, mentioned by Captain Langsdorff, were far from the scene.

Anticipating that vastly superior British forces were now awaiting her return to sea, to avoid risking the crew in what he thought would be a losing battle, on 17 December 1939Captain Langsdorff took his ship out of the harbor into the Plata River. Having transferred his crew to barges pressed an electric contact which set off explosions on the Spee. The ship burned steadily all night, a raging conflagration amidst the intermittent explosions of kerosene and shells. Captain Langsdorff wrote a tragic finale to his career by committing suicide; the members of the crew were arrested and taken into custody by the Uruguayan Government.

After the news of the scuttling reached Germany, Hitler personally called Raeder on the telephone and instructed him to announce in a Naval Staff communique that the Fuehrer himself had directed that the ship be scuttled. It occasioned surprise and amusement in the Naval Staff-they did not believe that Hitler had done any such thing. The Fuehrer wanted it understood that everything that was done, or left undone, was the result of his decision.

Approximately 1000 German sailors were interned in Argentina after the German ship Graf Spee was scuttled in 1940. These men had been loosely handled by the Argentina Government and as a result some of the technicians and officers escaped, with at least around ISO of these men having been successful in escaping. In one instance these men were escaping to Chile by using false pasaporta provided by 'the German Consul at Valparaiso, Chile.

Although the Graf Spee fought well, her captain erred on several important points. His mission was commerce-raiding - that is, capture, destroy, or seize merchant ships, and at the same time by his presence interrupt merchant shipping and tie down naval forces. He was therefore advised to avoid action with even inferior naval forces, because even though he might be victorious his ship would doubtless suffer some damage. He must go home to repair serious damage, falling prey en route to other forces, or in anjease providing a respite for the enemy. Captain Langsdorff turned not away from but toward the action. Then finding himself heavily engaged and taking considerable damage, he turned and ran.

The Graf Spee affair, with its high drama and operatic outcome, had a number of benign effects. It was the first major victory for the Allies at the outset of what would be a long struggle. It deprived the Nazis of a powerful weapon of war. And, perhaps more importantly, through the character of Captain Langsdorff, it encouraged the world to believe that not all Germans were Nazis or sympathetic to their cause.

Admiral Graf Spee's shattered wreck remained there ever since, partially visible in the shallow water. Beginning in 2004, a group based in Uruguay salvaged some of her weapons and fittings. In February 2004 the salvage team began work raising the Admiral Graf Spee. The operation is in part being funded by the government of Uruguay and as well as from the private sector, as the wreck is now a hazard to navigation. The first major section, the 27 ton heavy gunnery control station, was raised on 25 February 2004. It is expected to take several years to raise the entire wreck. Film director James Cameron is filming the salvage operation. After it has been raised it is planned that the ship will be restored and put on display at the National Marine Museum in Montevideo.