Evening star., 1939-12-15
Disabling Of Spec
Declared Brilliant
Victory for British
Despite Three Ships
Against One, kozi
Power Was Superior
BY col. FREDERICK PALMER.

~t~~Ae ~
imposed, had such q thrill. In COM
mon with the rest of us, they had
been trying to peer through the fog
of censorship, thickening natures
fog, which conceals naval operations
on the North Sea.
Gun flashes on the southern seas
shot attention away from this realm
OF mystery and speculation. We
wait for further professional details,
but the cold fact Is that three Brit
ish cruisers Of actually inferior gun
power made it so hot for the Admiral
Graf Spec that she ran for cover.
Gun Power Compared.
It was three ships against one,
but the Spec was the miracle pocket
battleship into which German craft
had put all its skill and cunning to
design a battleship of only 10000
tons. The bell" mouths of her six
l1-inch guns were supposed to i'm
prove accuracy and extend range
even to IS, 900 yards. The Spec had
also eight 5.9-inch guns, equivalent
in power to 6-inch.
The British Ajax and Achilles had
eight 6-inch guns and the British
Exeter six 8-inch guns. An ll-inch
shell weighs 670 pounds. an 8-inch
shell 256 pounds, and 6-inch shell
100 pounds. Total the weight 'of
metal either side could throw, and
the Spec had 1920 pounds to 3,136
for the British.
Also, the British cruisers were
lightly armored and vulnerable to
the 1l-inch shells. The Spec was
supposedly heavily armored and
practically invulnerable to 8-inch
shells and quite so to 6-inch shells.
The 6-inch shells and the 8-inch
had not the range Of the 1l-inch.
However, small Offset was that
6-inch and 8-inch guns could fire
faster, which is equivalent to say
ing that lightweight fighter in
the ring might box faster with light
blows than the heavyweight with
his heavy blows.
Not Unequal Fight.
So, on form, 1t was far from an
unequal fight for the Spec, and her
only danger was that the three
cruisers might rush her simulta-
neously. If she could get them one
by one, the result ought not to be
in doubt. Reports show she had
the opportunity at least to get one
first.
There has been much talk about
how it has been the Germans and
not the British who have shown
initiative in this war. There was
no lack Of it on the British cruisers,
terriers against mastiff, when, as
the reports have it, the Ajax, with
only 6-inch guns, gave chase to the
Spec, with her 11-inch armament.
as the Spec pursued the French
merchant ship Formose. The
Achilles, sister light cruiser, with
her 6-inch guns, came steaming up,
ard, in closing in. got the first crack
at the Spec.
1t would not have taken many
hits, one might have been enough
from the Specs 11-inch guns with
their long range, to put the Achilles
and then the Ajax out Of action be-
fore the Exeter also got inside the
Specs range 80 her shells could
reach the target. The Exeter's word
to the Ajax and Achilles was, in
effect, leave this to your big
brother!"
Doubtless it was the Exeter's
8-inch shells which mauled the Spec
the hardest. The Exeter gave the
heavy pounding, and also must have
received it, since the Spec evie
dently concentrated on her. But
the Ajax and Achilles, II subject to
less attention, kept at it with their
6-inch shells. When the Exeter was
out of action, they continued the
pursuit against the enemy they had
on the run.
For the Spec made a running fight
Of it from the start. Her commander
evidently was not in the mood to &c
down with colors flying. His plar
seems to have been to save his ship
to fight another time.
All three British cruisers had the
speed of the German by about siz
knots, facilitating their tactical
maneuvers in a running fight. As
he was centering his fire on the
Exeter, there were the Ajax and
Achilles back out of their smoke
screens, stabbing at the Spec with
their 6-inch shells. Undismayed
without the support Of the Exeter
they never let up until the Spec was
safe in a neutral port.
Declared Outplayed.
There is no gainsaying that the
British cruisers outplayed and out
shot the Spee In spite Of her 11-inch