Naval History
The Battle of the River Plate
An innovative design and heavy armament was not enough to save the Graf Spee from the British pursuers
Why this story?
I’ve had an interest in this battle for many years as I knew Jack Lewis, a humble stoker, who had served on HMS Exeter during the battle. Jack was a larger-than-life character whose later careers included being a farmer, a milkman, a scrap merchant and pig-breeder. He always wore wellington boots when I knew him — believe it or not I was a milkman at that time, as was he. But I didn’t wear wellington boots.
I had hoped to visit the River Plate one day in my boat, but it looks like the Covid pandemic has now put paid to that plan.
The Battle of the River Plate was a naval battle fought on December 13, 1939, during the early stages of World War II. It pitted the Royal Navy’s HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax, and HMS Achilles against the Kriegsmarine’s Admiral Graf Spee. The battle took place in the South Atlantic, off the coast of South America, near the mouth of the Rio de la Plata.
The Admiral Graf Spee, a German heavy cruiser, had been causing havoc in the South Atlantic, attacking and sinking numerous Allied merchant ships. In response, the British dispatched…
