Admiral Graf Spee

13.9

Admiral Graf Spee

Cruiser | Germany | Tier VI

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points39,400

Main Battery

283 mm/52 SK C/28 on a Drh LC/28 mount2 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire3 shots/min.

Reload Time20 sec.

Rotation Speed7.2 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time25 sec.

Firing Range16.01 km.

Maximum Dispersion182 m.

HE Shell283 mm Spr.Gr. L/4.2 Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage3,200

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell20 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity910 m./s.

HE Shell Weight300 kg.

AP Shell283 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/3.7

Maximum AP Shell Damage8,400

Initial AP Shell Velocity910 m./s.

AP Shell Weight300 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

150 mm/55 SK C/28 on an MPL/35 mount8 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 km.

Rate of Fire8 shots/min.

Reload Time7.5 sec.

HE Shell150 mm Spr.Gr. L/4.5

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,700

Initial HE Shell Velocity875 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 %

Secondary Armament #2

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount3 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 km.

Rate of Fire17.91 shots/min.

Reload Time3.35 sec.

HE Shell105 mm Spr.Gr. Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,200

Initial HE Shell Velocity900 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Torpedo Tubes

533 mm Vierling2 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.67 shots/min.

Reload Time90 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

TorpedoG7 Steinbutt

Maximum Damage13,700

Torpedo Speed65 knot

Torpedo Range8.01 km.

AA Defense

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount3 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second49.8

. . . Firing Range4.5 km.

20 mm/65 C/38 on an L/30 single mount4 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second12

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

IDS_PGGA088_20MM_FLAK_386 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second18

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

37 mm/83 SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second10.4

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed28.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius680 m.

Rudder Shift Time10.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range12.76 km.

Air Detectability Range6.79 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Admiral Graf Spee

Cruiser | Germany | Tier VI

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points39,400

Main Battery

283 mm/52 SK C/28 on a Drh LC/28 mount2 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire3 shots/min.

Reload Time20 sec.

Rotation Speed7.2 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time25 sec.

Firing Range16.01 km.

Maximum Dispersion182 m.

HE Shell283 mm Spr.Gr. L/4.2 Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage3,200

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell20 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity910 m./s.

HE Shell Weight300 kg.

AP Shell283 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/3.7

Maximum AP Shell Damage8,400

Initial AP Shell Velocity910 m./s.

AP Shell Weight300 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

150 mm/55 SK C/28 on an MPL/35 mount8 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 km.

Rate of Fire8 shots/min.

Reload Time7.5 sec.

HE Shell150 mm Spr.Gr. L/4.5

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,700

Initial HE Shell Velocity875 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell8 %

Secondary Armament #2

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount3 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 km.

Rate of Fire17.91 shots/min.

Reload Time3.35 sec.

HE Shell105 mm Spr.Gr. Kz.

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,200

Initial HE Shell Velocity900 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Torpedo Tubes

533 mm Vierling2 х 4 pcs.

Rate of Fire0.67 shots/min.

Reload Time90 sec.

Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.

TorpedoG7 Steinbutt

Maximum Damage13,700

Torpedo Speed65 knot

Torpedo Range8.01 km.

AA Defense

105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount3 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second49.8

. . . Firing Range4.5 km.

20 mm/65 C/38 on an L/30 single mount4 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second12

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

IDS_PGGA088_20MM_FLAK_386 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second18

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

37 mm/83 SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second10.4

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed28.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius680 m.

Rudder Shift Time10.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range12.76 km.

Air Detectability Range6.79 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VI

Special

Admiral Graf Spee — German special premium Tier VI cruiser.

Admiral Graf Spee belonged to a class of unique ships that combined the features of both a battleship and a cruiser. The German Navy officially classified her as a cruiser. Armed with 283mm main guns, the ship was superior to any light or heavy cruiser of her time and was only slightly inferior to them in terms of speed.

Admiral Graf Spee was first released for sale on 22 December 2016 for the NA server and 23 December 2016 for the EU server. As of the 0.10.5 update (June 2021) She is no longer available.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
283 mm/52 SK C/28 on a Drh LC/28 mount	3	25	182	3,200	20	8,400		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Admiral Graf Spee	39,400	13	170	2	3/8	10/4/3	2			0	0

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
G7 Steinbutt	0.7	90	7.2	13,700	65	8		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
FKS Typ 6 Mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 54,000 hp	28.5		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Admiral Graf Spee is a premium Tier VI German cruiser that straddles the line with battleships in several ways. Most notably, her main battery is comprised of 283mm guns: the same caliber as Tier III battleship Nassau and Tier VII battleship Scharnhorst. With an alpha damage of 8,400 per shell and a 20 second reload time, the guns perform exceptionally well against lightly-armored enemy units. As a cruiser, her version of the 283mm guns seem to have much tighter dispersion patterns than Scharnhorst, rewarding accurate shell placement; unfortunately, with only six barrels total, bad dispersion can still ruin what would appear to be a well-aimed salvo.

Her other battleship-like characteristic is her access to the Repair Party  consumable, normally reserved for Tier IX and X cruisers. Spee will need the extra health, as her maneuverability is far below most cruisers (but still better than many battleships). Like other Tier VI cruisers, she receives the option of equipping either Defensive AA Fire  or Hydroacoustic Search . Spee’s last major unique characteristic is her torpedoes. Unlike the rest of the German cruiser line — and the German battleships with them — Admiral Graf Spee’s torpedoes have a range of 8.0 km instead of 6.0 km, allowing captains to surprise enemies who may believe they are safely outside her torpedo range and providing a bit more flexibility in their use.

While Admiral Graf Spee is big and bulky, she is armored in a similar fashion to the rest of her cruiser classmates; she takes lots of damage and mistakes in positioning her will be quickly punished. Spee is not a ship for the un-skilled, but is a powerful tool in the hands of players who know how to minimize their exposure enemy fire and mitigate incoming damage.

Pros:

• Largest health pool of all Tier 6 cruisers
• Largest guns of all Tier 6 cruiser with high AP penetration and damage, enough to be a threat to battleships
• Excellent turret traverse speed for such large guns
• Good torpedoes with good range and wide firing arcs
• Very good torpedo protection for a cruiser
• Decent AA suite
• Access to several useful consumables, including Repair Party 

Cons:

• Only six rifles in two turrets, poor DPM
• Bad main battery firing arcs (better when angling/kiting away)
• Very poor reload speed for a cruiser
• Underwhelming HE performance, low damage and poor fire chance
• Slowest Tier 6 cruiser
• Worst accuracy of all Tier 6 cruisers
• Fires and floods last longer compared to standard cruisers
• Thin plating makes her vulnerable to most higher tier BBs from overmatch (16mm bow and 25mm deck)
• Torpedo launcher easily get incapacitated or destroyed when kitting
• Vulnerable engine and rudder from big HE shell and torpedo
  

Research

As a premium ship, Admiral Graf Spee doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades for Admiral Graf Spee are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1 
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1 *
• Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1

The upgrade options available for Admiral Graf Spee won't radically alter how she plays, but they can be used to help shore up some of her weaker attributes. Main Armaments Modification 1 is the best fit for Upgrade Slot 1; with only two main battery turrets on a relatively slow reload, Admiral Graf Spee shares Dunkerque’s vulnerability to turret-disabling hits. Damage Control System Modification 1 should be plugged into Upgrade Slot 2, while Steering Gears Modification 1 is recommended in Upgrade Slot 4 to improve her handling characteristics.

This leaves only Upgrade Slot 3, which offers some intriguing options. Particularly daring cruiser captains might wish to equip Secondary Battery Modification 1 ; coupled with the German Hydroacoustic Search , this would allow them to aggressively close with enemy cruisers and destroyers. It's a risky tactic given her relatively light armor scheme, but might pay off in certain situations given Admiral Graf Spee’s healthy secondary armament. Either Aiming Systems Modification 1 or AA Guns Modification 1 are safer bets, offering small but notable buffs to her dispersion and anti-aircraft bubble, respectively. Captains are recommended to choose what they feel will best fit their play style for the ship.

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party   Repair Party .	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines.	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost.	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up.	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger. ★★★	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★★★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier.
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery.	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Admiral Graf Spee can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire  or Hydroacoustic Search 
• Slot 3: Catapult Fighter 
• Slot 4: Repair Party 

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Admiral Graf Spee comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Admiral Graf Spee is a tad on the slow side for a cruiser; this can be helped by equipping Sierra Mike () to bump her top speed to 29.9 knots. Other flags worth considering are: Mike Yankee Soxisix () for captains who went with a secondary battery build; India Delta () to get the most out of her Repair Party ; November Foxtrot () to improve the cooldown times on her various consumables; and India Yankee () to further increase her survivability.

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration.	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy. ★	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time. ★	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

• 

  Admiral Graf Spee prepares for deployment to "North".

• 
• 

  Admiral Graf Spee citadels an enemy Shchors class cruiser.

• 

  Admiral Graf Spee runs down an enemy Fuso class battleship.

• 

  Admiral Graf Spee penetrates an enemy Myoko-class cruiser.

• 

  Flag of Graf Spee. Given to players who purchased a special bundle containing Admiral Graf Spee.

Historical Info

Admiral Graf Spee, 1936

Construction

Builder: Wilhelmshaven Navy Yard; Wilhelmshaven, Germany

Laid down: 1 October 1932

Launched: 30 June 1934

Commissioned: 6 January 1936

---

Specifications

12,100 tons displacement, standard

186m length

21.7m beam

5.8m draft

---

Machinery

8 diesel engines, 2 shafts

---

Performance

26 knots at 44,200 shaft horsepower

18,650nm at 15 knots

---

Armor

Main belt: 100mm

Torpedo bulkhead: 45mm

Decks: 45mm

Barbettes and Turrets: 125mm barbette, 140mm face,
   90mm side, 152mm rear, 105mm roof

Conning tower: 150mm

---

Armament

Main

Six (2x3) 283mm guns

Secondary

Eight (8x1) 150mm guns

Six (3x2) 88mm guns

Anti-Aircraft

Eight (4x2) 37mm guns

Four (4x1) 20mm guns

Torpedoes

Eight (2x4) 533mm torpedo tubes

---

Aircraft

Two (2) Arado Ar 196 floatplanes, one catapult

Admiral Graf Spee at Spithead, England for the Coronation Review of King George VI, 20 May 1937.

History

Design

Due to the limitations imposed by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not allowed to replace its aging battleships until they’ve reached 20 years of service life. Furthermore, the replacement ships to be designed had to have a maximum displacement of 10,000 tons. Ultimately, the Navy decided on an unorthodox solution to mount capital-ship artillery on a lightly armored hull akin to a cruiser. This way, it satisfied the previous Treaty of Versailles, and the newer 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. This gave birth to the Deutschland-class panzerschiffes (“armored ships”); a modest nickname, concealing their true capability; Graf Spee being the third ship of the class.

There were many design proposals as to the main armament of the ship. After much consideration, it was decided the vessel would mount six 283mm guns in 2 triple-gun turrets; "Anton" turret facing the bow, and "Brüno" turret facing the stern. A notable characteristic, which the German Navy preferred, was its high rate of fire at 3 rounds a minute. Similar rifles would later be found as the main armament on the Scharnhorst-class battleships. In the name of saving weight, further innovative choices were made, such as using electrical welding, which dissuaded the use of rivets that add considerable weight to a vessel, and improved streamlining. Furthermore, choice of propulsion fell to eight 9-cylinder, two-stroke MAN diesel engines. Advantages included being of lighter weight than contemporary boiler-based propulsion, and having greater fuel economy. As well, they could accelerate faster and produce less smoke; great tactical advantages for a commerce raider.

She was also one of the first ships equipped with radar, a novel technology at the time. She mounted the FuMO 22 set with a single “mattress” array on the front-face of the forward primary fire detector. Due to its infancy, it was more accurate to sight ships with conventional means, but it conferred a great advantage in target acquisition at night-time and in poor weather. In conjunction with her spotter-aircraft, this made Graf Spee a potent merchant hunter.

Ultimately, Graf Spee had a displacement of 16,000 tons due to it having the greatest armor of the class. Major improvements include: her armor belt was extended higher, her armor deck covered the entire length of the ship, and her torpedo belt was expanded, where as these choices were omitted in her sister ships to reduce weight. Although humorously, the Nazi Government insisted the ship weighed in at 10,000 tons.

Graf Spee was laid down on 1 October 1932 at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, and launched on 30 June 1934. After her sea trials, she was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 6 January 1936.

Service

Commissioned in January 1936, Admiral Graf Spee conducted trials before being made fleet flagship. Her first notable duty was participation in the neutrality patrol off Spanish waters after the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in the summer of 1936. Conducting three such patrols through early 1937, Admiral Graf Spee was then assigned to represent Germany for the coronation of King George VI in May 1937. She then returned to neutrality patrols off Spain, performing two more, before returning to Germany in early 1938. Admiral Graf Spee then embarked on a series of port calls in Portugal and Spain, as well as transporting Adolf Hitler to Memel to inaugurate the integration of that city into the German Reich. The remainder of her peacetime service was spent participating in fleet maneuvers until late August, 1939.

Admiral Graf Spee was pre-positioned to the Central Atlantic in the week before the declaration of war against Poland with orders to engage in commerce raiding. She was to adhere to prize rules (capture ships and evacuate crew if possible, sink targets only if resistance was given) and range freely while avoiding interception by enemy warships. Admiral Graf Spee, operating with Altmark as her supply and holding ship for prisoners of war, would prove to be an exceedingly capable raider of shipping. From late September through mid-December 1939, Admiral Graf Spee would operate in the South Atlantic and Southern Indian Ocean, capturing and sinking nine merchant ships as well as sparking an enormous hunt, to eventually include over 30 warships from Britain and France.

​Fortunately for Admiral Graf Spee, of the 30 ships dispatched to search for her, including four aircraft carriers, two battleships and a battlecruiser, her first and final true battle would pit her only against the light cruisers HMS Ajax, HMNZS Achilles and the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter. Here, Graf Spee lived up to the slogan of "outrun anything she can't outgun, and outgun anything she can't outrun"; Ajax, Achilles and Exeter were all faster than Graf Spee, but she had far larger guns than what the trio of cruisers carried. This encounter between the three cruisers and Graf Spee would come to be known as the Battle of the River Plate.

At 05:52 on 13 December 1939, lookouts onboard Graf Spee spotted two tall masts on the horizon. By 06:00, Kapitän zur See Hans Langsdorff's crew identified one of the ships as HMS Exeter, and decided to attack. Graf Spee’s engines were pushed to full speed, creating a towering pillar of clearly visible black smoke, and the three cruisers saw her position. The battle truly begun at 06:17 when Graf Spee fired her first salvo on Exeter, hitting home amidships and dealing significant damage to the ship's wheelhouse and killing all but 3 officers inside. At 06:23, her third salvo hit Exeter again, killing some of the ship's torpedo crews, damaging her communications, tearing holes in the funnels and destroying searchlights and the ship's on-board Walrus aircraft. Three minutes later, Exeter suffered further severe damage when her 'B' turret took a direct hit, taking the entire turret out of action. Exeter attempted to return fire, dealing minor damage, and Admiral Graf Spee dodged a torpedo salvo fired in anger by the surviving torpedo crews on board Exeter.

Meanwhile, Ajax and Achilles had initially stayed back and took a different course in an attempt to split Graf Spee’s fire. This plan worked briefly as, at 06:30, Graf Spee focused her 15cm secondary batteries on the pursuing light cruisers, but her fearsome 283mm guns stayed locked on to HMS Exeter. At 06:38, Exeter turned so she could fire her port torpedo tubes at Graf Spee, but she received 2 more direct 283mm shell hits; one knocked out her 'A' turret, further reducing the ship's firepower, while the other penetrated the ship's hull and started internal fires. Exeter’s wounds at this point were severe: two of her three turrets had been knocked out, her sole operational turret firing under local control (Exeter’s gunnery officer was standing on the turret roof and shouting instructions from there), and she was developing a list due to flooding. However, by sheer luck, Exeter’s engines took little to no damage in the engagement, and her 'Y' turret scored what proved to be a decisive hit: one of her 8-inch shells penetrated two levels of Graf Spee’s decks and exploded in the funnel area, destroying her raw fuel processing equipment and leaving her with only 16 hours of fuel — an insufficient amount to make it home — with damage too complex to repair under fire. Ajax and Achilles continued to pepper Graf Spee with fire while closing in from the northeast, but from such ranges that their 6-inch guns struggled to deal anything more than minor damage.

By 06:50 Exeter was listing heavily to starboard and barely in the fight, but she continued to steam at full speed and fire upon at Admiral Graf Spee with her single working turret. At 07:10, Ajax and Achilles had drawn close to Graf Spee, and KzS Langsdorff's attention was drawn to the two light cruisers as they attempted to distance themselves. By 07:16, however, Graf Spee’s course was parallel to that of Exeter, and Graf Spee’s focus again turned to the badly damaged heavy cruiser. Heavier fire from Ajax and Achilles re-focused Spee’s attention back on the light cruisers, and she opened fire on them with her 283mm guns. Again, Graf Spee proved her accuracy, and at 07:25 Ajax suffered a direct hit that knocked out her 'X' turret and jammed her 'Y' turret, effectively halving the ship's firepower in a single strike. Exeter maintained fire on Graf Spee, and around 07:40 Langsdorff returned his focus to Exeter; a near-miss short-circuited the electronics of her sole operational turret, causing the now completely disarmed Exeter to finally break off from the battle. Graf Spee again attempted to pursue the ship, but Ajax and Achilles managed to distract Graf Spee long enough for Exeter to make good her escape.

At this point, had she so chosen, Graf Spee could have easily dispatched the pair of already damaged light cruisers still hounding her and then set out to finish off Exeter, but KzS Langsdorff made the most crucial decision of the battle: despite Graf Spee having suffered little severe damage — the only notable damage she'd taken was a six-foot wide hole in the bow that was well above the waterline and two of her secondary guns had been knocked offline — the loss of her fuel processing equipment worried Langsdorff so greatly that he chose to break off from the battle and sail to the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay. Of the three ships that she engaged, only one of them was in a good enough shape to pose a threat to Graf Spee, and that was only if she scored a lucky torpedo hit. Ajax and Achilles attempted to pursue Graf Spee at a safe distance, to make sure she was going to port. However, even then Graf Spee still posed a threat, for at 10:10 Achilles drew too close to the panzerschiffe, and was nearly hit by a 283mm salvo. The occasional salvo was exchanged between the three ships as Graf Spee steamed for Montevideo for the rest of the day. Once it became clear that she was entering port, Achilles broke off and took watch over the entrance to the River Plate with Ajax, as the Battle of the River Plate drew to a close.

Over the next several days, KzS Langsdorff was made to believe that a enormous British fleet was heading for him, when, in reality, no such force existed. It was a carefully-crafted deception by the Royal Navy that was at least partly true: a British cruiser squadron was being reinforced immediately with the heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland; the battlecruiser HMS Renown and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal were to arrive in the area by 19 December; three more cruisers plus a destroyer division were on the way. It is likely that had Graf Spee chosen to fight her way out of Montevideo, these remaining Royal Navy units wouldn't have made it in time, as Langsdorff had initially planned to leave by the 17th at the latest. However, Langsdorff believed if he ran into any more ships he may not make it out alive — during the Battle of the River Plate he'd been wounded twice and knocked unconscious, and the ship had spent over 50% of her 283mm ammunition — and he thought he was facing at least a battlecruiser, an aircraft carrier, three or four cruisers, and a destroyer flotilla. He messaged Berlin asking for advice, whether to allow the ship to be interned or scuttled, and was told that the best option was to fight his way out, or — if he had no other choice — to scuttle the ship. Faced with daunting odds — including a battlecruiser that was one of the few ships that could outrun and outgun Graf Spee — Langsdorff opted to scuttle his ship. At 19:01 on 17 December, Admiral Graf Spee sailed out into the estuary of the Plate, with most of her surviving crew aboard the German steamship Tacoma behind her. At 19:56, smoke was seen rising from Graf Spee, just before an enormous explosion occurred that was designed to be as dramatic as possible. The surviving crew of Admiral Graf Spee were taken south to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Kapitän zur See Hans Langsdorff committed suicide on 19 December. Langsdorff and the other German dead were buried in Buenos Aires; his remaining crew were interned there for the duration of the war. In the end, the loss of Admiral Graf Spee was a major propaganda victory for the British and French (and a publicly embarrassing event for the Germans, particularly the Kriegsmarine); Langsdorff's decision to scuttle the ship is said to have enraged Adolf Hitler.

The Battle of the River Plate is known as the first naval battle of the Second World War: an era which ushered in countless technological advances to naval technology, several of which had their first true tests in combat in the South Atlantic off the coast of Uruguay.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Arado Ar 196 spotter plane is missing.
• Catapult fighter appears to be a Henschel Hs 123, which was actually a dive bomber and close-support attack aircraft. No float plane version of this aircraft existed.
• Graf Spee’s main and secondary gun turrets were actually camouflaged.

Historical Gallery

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  Vizeadmiral Maximilian Reichsgraf von Spee, for whom Admiral Graf Spee is named.

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  US Office of Naval Intelligence recognition drawing of a Deutschland-class cruiser.

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  Close-up view of Admiral Graf Spee’s forward 283mm turret.

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  Admiral Graf Spee at anchor, circa 1936.

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  Aerial view of Admiral Graf Spee at Spithead, England for the Coronation Review of King George VI, 20 May 1937; HMS Hood] and Resoultion are in the background.

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  Map of the cruises of Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland.

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  Admiral Graf Spee before the war.

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  Admiral Graf Spee returning from an Atlantic cruise, October 1938.

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  Aerial photograph of the Admiral Graf Spee in the English Channel, 1939; note the exquisite curvature of her aft design.

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  Stern view of Admiral Graf Spee underway, circa 1939. Her quadruple-tube torpedo launchers are clearly visible in the foreground.

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  Graf Spee with a fake "Bruno" turret, intended to confuse her enemies.

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  Aerial shot of the Graf Spee's fake "Bruno" turret.

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  Admiral Graf Spee at anchor in Montevideo harbor following the Battle of the River Plate, December 1939.

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  Admiral Graf Spee shortly after her scuttling.

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  Admiral Graf Spee, port amidship. Damage from shell splinters as well as the burned out Arado Ar 196A-1 still resting on the catapult is visible.

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  Admiral Graf Spee burns off Montevideo, Uruguay after being scuttled by her crew, 17 December 1939.

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  Admiral Graf Spee, starboard. Shell splinter damage is visible on the hull below the open control station and armored bridge.

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  Admiral Graf Spee after scuttling. This photograph was taken in February 1940.

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  A view forward from the bow turret on Admiral Graf Spee in February 1940.

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  The forward superstructure of Admiral Graf Spee in February 1940, after she was scuttled.

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  The open control station on Admiral Graf Spee. The armored conning tower, various periscopes, rangefinder, target designators, and ship controls are visible. Taken in February 1940.

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  The view aft from the forward superstructure of Admiral Graf Spee in February 1940.

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  Graf Spee's salvaged rangefinder (and one of her anchors, not shown) is on display in Montevideo today.

Video

References

1. German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee - Wikipedia
2. Deutschland-class cruiser - Wikipedia
3. Chieftain Talks: The Hunt for Graf Spee - News - World of Warships
4. Fight the Battle of River Plate! - News - World of Warships
5. Rage in the River Plate Rumble! - News - World of Warships
6. River Plate: The Weekend Conclusion! - News - World of Warships
7. Chieftain Talks: The Hunt for Graf Spee. Battle of the River Plate - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube
8. Chieftain Teaches: Battle of the River Plate - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube
9. Hunt for Graf Spee - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube
10. Dry Dock: Admiral Graf Spee - World of Warships Official Channel - YouTube

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available to supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.5.15.
• First appeared on sale in December 2016.
• Update 0.6.2:
  • Fixed small visual bugs at low and medium graphics settings.
  • Update 0.6.3.1:
  • Fixed a bug where the visual armor scheme was displayed incorrectly.
• Update 0.6.4:
  • Available for purchase for doubloons in the game client.
• Update 0.6.8:
  • For 105 mm secondary battery shells, the chance of setting fire was reduced from 9% to 5%, and the damage from 1300 to 1200.
• Update 0.6.12:
  • Detectability when firing main guns in smoke changed to 9.47 km.
• Update 0.6.13:
  • Fire extinguishing time now 45 s instead of 60 s.
  • Improved display of thin elements.
• Update 0.6.15:
  • A bonus was added to the permanent camouflages "Type 10", "Type 12" - a 10% discount to the cost of post-battle service.
• Update 0.7.7:
  • Became unavailable in the game client for purchase with doubloons.
• Update 0.7.10:
  • The range of the Hydroacoustic Search consumable was unified - 5.5 km for detecting ships, 3.75 km for detecting torpedoes.
• Update 0.7.11:
  • Became available in the game client for purchase for doubloons.
• Update 0.7.12:
  • Fixed a bug with incorrect armor penetration. The armor penetration of the 150 mm secondary HE shells was increased from 36 mm to 37 mm.
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
• Update 0.8.7:
  • Added a special permanent camouflage in the national style with the following bonuses:
    • −3% to detectability from ships.
    • +4% to the dispersion of enemy shells firing at your ship.
    • −10% to the cost of post-battle ship maintenance.
    • +100% to experience earned in a battle.
    • +35% to credits earned in a battle.
• Update 0.9.2:
  • Penetration of 105 mm HE shells increased from 18 to 26 mm.
  • The central armor was reinforced from 16 mm to 25 mm.
• Update 0.9.8:
  • Minor fixes to textures and geometry of the ship.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 5.6 km.
• Update 0.10.5:
  • Graf Spee was removed for purchase from the Premium store and the Armory.
• Update 0.10.10:
  • Minor fixes to geometry and textures of the ship.

Ships of Germany

Cruisers