This newspaper supplement held in the collection was published to commemorate the Battle of the River Plate.
Battle of the River Plate was the first major naval battle of World War Two which took place on the River Plate Estuary off the coast of Argentina. The German battleship Admiral Graf Spee had been raiding commercial shipping lanes for several months before it was tracked down and attacked by three smaller Allied cruisers: HMS Ajax, Exeter and Achilles on 13 December, 1939.
The Allied ships had inferior arms and range but had superior speed and split in an effort to divide the Graf Spee’s firepower. Heavy gunfire was exchanged and the Graf Spee, badly damaged, fled taking refuge at Montevideo, Uruguay. Port authorities only allowed the ship to stay in port for a few days. Early on the morning of 17th December, 1939, the Graf Spee’s Captain Langsdorff scuttled the ship using her own torpedoes.
More to explore.
First Aid at Sea in the Second World War
Medical personnel played a vital role at sea during the Second World War.
The Wartime Artwork of Owen (Miles) Spence
A selection of drawings from Owen (Miles) Spence from the Navy Museum collection.
The scuttling of the Graf Spee video
Short video of the scuttling of the Battleship the Admiral Graf Spee.
A sailor’s diary – Battle of Kolombangara
AB Johnstone remembers the Battle of Kolombangara in his diary.
Operation Struggle
Midget submarine XE3 carried out a successful attack on a Japanese cruiser.
Signalling Victory and Survival
White Ensign made by New Zealanders in a Japanese POW Camp.
Suitcase with a story
This small brown suitcase has a fascinating story from WW2.
Wrens
Brief history of women’s war service in New Zealand Navy.
Cup and Saucer
Cup and saucer from ‘Paragon Patriotic’ series World War Two.
Images from Battle of the River Plate
Gallery of images from the Battle of the River Plate.