The Battle of the River Plate
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THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE THE NEW ZEALAND STORY hen the cruiser The 82-minute engagement between the HMS Achilles Graf Spee and its three smaller British opened fire on opponents –Achilles, Ajax and Exeter – the German was inconclusive. All four were damaged, ‘pocket with the British ships suffering 72 Wbattleship’ Admiral Graf Spee in the fatalities (two of them New Zealanders) South Atlantic, at 6.21 a.m. on 13 to the Graf Spee’s 36. But the German December 1939, it became the first warship’s subsequent withdrawal to the New Zealand unit to strike a blow at neutral Uruguayan port of Montevideo, the enemy in the Second World War. and its dramatic scuttling by its own With the New Zealand ensign flying crew on 17 December, turned the Battle proudly from her mainmast – as battle of the River Plate into a major British loomed, a signalman had run aft with victory – and a welcome morale boost BY IAN MCGIBBON the ensign shouting ‘Make way for the for the Allied cause. Achilles’ role in the History Group, Digger flag!’ – Achilles also became the battle was a special source of pride for Ministry for Culture and Heritage first New Zealand warship to take part New Zealanders, who welcomed the in a naval battle. ship’s crew home at huge parades in PAINTINGS Auckland and Wellington in early 1940. (Cover) Edward S. Annison, The “Achilles” opening the attack on the “Graf Spee”, 1939, oil, Ref: AAAC 898 NCWA 384, National Collection of War Art, Archives New Zealand Frank Norton, HMS “Achilles” in the Battle of the River Plate, 1940, gouache, Ref: AAAC 898 NCWA Q223, National Collection of War Art, Archives New Zealand PHOTOGRAPHY SOURCE S.D. Waters, Achilles at the River Plate, War History Branch, Wellington, 1948 1 NEW ZEALANd’S NAVAL FORCES and personnel. Senior officers, including Britain depended (for Britain’s survival as a In December 1939 the New Zealand naval Achilles’ captain Edward (later Rear-Admiral market and source of military support was forces were a quarter of a century old. Sir Edward) Parry, were seconded British vital to New Zealand). The Royal Navy They had come into being with the arrival officers. In 1939 the New Zealand Division and the many strategically located bases of the decrepit training cruiser HMS comprised 82 officers and 1257 ratings, of it controlled gave Britain the means of Philomel at Wellington in July 1914. Almost whom eight officers and 716 ratings were protecting its vital sea lanes. Although the immediately, however, the outbreak of the New Zealanders; supporting them was a approaches to the British Isles obviously First World War interrupted New Zealand’s 670-strong New Zealand Volunteer Naval needed the most protection, given the naval development plans. Philomel was Reserve. New Zealand sent its personnel to proximity of powerful potential enemies, returned to Admiralty control and headed off Britain for training, relied on British logistic trade protection was a worldwide effort – to the Middle East. For the next three years support, and looked to the Royal Navy coordinated by the Admiralty in London. it was used in a gunboat role, mainly in the for traditions, advice and example. New Zealand’s role was to assist this effort by Persian Gulf, occasionally carrying out shore A small element of the wider British fleet, making available the resources it could spare bombardments and landing shore parties. this force would be placed under the to bolster the collective effort. In 1917, no longer fit for service, it returned operational control of the Admiralty on to New Zealand and was de-commissioned, the outbreak of war, in accordance with The Royal Navy and New Zealand’s defence strategy. THE THREAT TO NEW ZEALAND becoming a depot ship at Devonport. the many strategically Physical protection posed a greater problem. Following the war New Zealand resumed its The biggest threat in the interwar period located bases it naval programme, forming a New Zealand NAVAL STRATEGY seemed to be posed by the Empire’s former controlled gave Britain Between the world wars New Zealand’s ally Japan. With the scuttling of the German Division of the Royal Navy in 1921 and the means of protecting taking control of the cruiser HMS Chatham. defence was conceived as part of an imperial fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919, the Japanese Three years later a more modern cruiser, system based on the power of the Royal Navy. Navy had emerged as the world’s third largest; its vital sea lanes. HMS Dunedin, arrived to replace Chatham. This system provided New Zealand’s physical only the United States and British fleets were Dunedin was joined by its sister ship HMS security from invasion or attack and also larger. Despite a visit by the US battlefleet in Diomede in 1926. Leander-class light cruisers protected the trade routes upon which its 1925 (much larger than any naval visit ever replaced these D-class cruisers in the mid- economy depended. These routes were made by the Royal Navy), New Zealand did 1930s. Achilles joined the New Zealand comparatively restricted in scope because of not count on US support in the event of war The long sea route to Britain – essentially across Division in 1936 and HMS Leander in the the narrow basis of New Zealand’s economy, with Japan. Isolationism was strong there, the Pacific to the Panama Canal and thence following year. which was almost exclusively devoted to and Japan was expected to avoid attacking producing meat, wool and other primary US interests if it went to war with the across the Atlantic – was all-important. As their formal title indicated, the products for the British market. The long sea British Empire. New Zealand naval forces developed within route to Britain – essentially across the Pacific a Royal Navy framework. The cruisers were to the Panama Canal and thence across the But was the Royal Navy strong enough to loaned to New Zealand, which merely paid Atlantic – was all-important. assert its power in the Pacific? The admirals in their running costs – a major advantage for London insisted that it was: they developed a cash-strapped government. New Zealand Both countries had an interest in keeping a strategy centred on a major naval base at also depended upon British expertise open this sea route and the others on which Singapore. In the event of trouble with Japan 2 3 the British battlefleet would concentrate Navy’s America and West Indies Squadron, THE BATTLE OF THE AtLANTIC which guarded an area through which Of all the battles waged during the Second New Zealand trade passed. The other would World War, arguably the most important was ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE remain in the South Pacific to guard shipping the Battle of the Atlantic, the struggle to keep Initially Germany’s interwar Although nominally 10,000 from enemy raiders. open the sea routes to the British Isles. naval development had been tons, Admiral Graf Spee probably The outcome of this battle was vital to the constrained by the 1919 Treaty displaced 14,000 tons (the As the international situation darkened in survival of Britain and, later, to the eventual of Versailles, which imposed Germans having cheated on the the last week of August 1939, the likelihood liberation of Europe by providing a staging strict limits on the size and Versailles limits). It was much of these plans being implemented suddenly point for the intervention of American power. number of warships that it could larger than the British heavy became very real. Both New Zealand This battle, fought by naval and air forces commission. Restricted to a cruisers (about 8000 tons) and cruisers were hurriedly readied for sea. and the civilian seafarers of the Merchant tonnage limit of 10,000 tons, the outgunned them too. Whereas a Ships’ bottoms were cleaned, supplies were Navy, began on the first day of the war and Germans responded by creating British heavy cruiser had 8-inch loaded, and crews were brought up to their continued to the last. a class of armoured cruisers guns, Graf Spee boasted six 11- war complements. In HMS Achilles’ case, this (Panzerschiffe). Although cruisers inch guns in two triple turrets, amounted to 31 officers and 536 ratings – At the outset, the battle also involved denying by tonnage, they carried heavier capable of throwing 294-kilogram of whom five officers and 316 ratings were the Atlantic and other sea routes to Germany. guns than existing cruisers. As a shells 27,000 metres. As secondary New Zealanders. An immediate task for the Royal Navy was result the British dubbed them armament, it had eight 5.9 inch to track down and destroy the estimated 237 ‘pocket battleships’. Three were guns and eight 21-inch torpedo Early on 29 August, with Germany preparing German merchant ships at sea or in foreign launched between 1931 and tubes, and it carried two seaplanes. to invade Poland, the Admiralty requested ports. As well as cutting off German trade, 1934: Deutschland, Admiral It was capable of 28 knots at full that the ships move to their war stations. this action would prevent these vessels being Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee. power of its diesel engines. Seven hours later Achilles put to sea, bound armed and used to prey on Allied trade. for Balboa in Panama’s Canal Zone. there, threatening the flank of any Japanese Soon afterwards HMS Leander was For six weeks Achilles played its part in this drive towards the South Pacific. Accepting dispatched to Fanning Island with a 32-man worldwide effort, moving along the coasts of these assurances, New Zealand contributed detachment to guard the cable station there Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia in order a million pounds towards the construction and prevent a raid such as the German East to deter German ship movements.