The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-12-18

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Germans seemed bitterly angry
over the governments refusal TO ex.
tend the V2-hour period that had
been granted the Admiral Graf spec
70 repair the damage done her IN
her battle with the British Cruisers
Exeter, Ajax and Achilles,
Through the night, the bulk Of the
Graf spec, Its SuperStructure Show
ING above the water six miles Oft
Montevideo, had famed like vtk-
mgS funeral pyre,
Three gigantic explosions ana a
number OF small ones, deliberately
set had wrecked the ship.
It's crew had been taken off by
the German supply ship Tacoma
and an Argentine Navy launch,
Headed Fer RuenOS Aires
capt. Hans LangSdorff, its COM
MNnder, had boarded an Argentine
navy launch with most Of his oftte-
erS and the bulk Of his crew, Thence
they had transferred to the Argen-
tine gunboat Libertad and headed
for HuenoS Aires across the river
Plate Estuary,
The Tacoma, with $50 Of the Graf
Specs officers and men, entered
Montevideo Harhor at midnight
II was understood that the uru-
guayan government was prepared
to intern them for the duration Of
the war unless Germany could pre-
sent some argument which would
convince the government that they
might be elaSSed Us ordinary ship
wrecked marines aboard an unarmed
ship--the Tacoma,
Arriving boats reported that some
ships OF the Allied death watch al
ready had left the Plate, going out
10 resume the constant patrols over
100000 square miles of the South
Atlantic which had brought them,
after weeks OF search, to the Graf
spec. and had brought the Graf
spec to her death,
Exeter, 81 Dead, % Wounded
The British Cruiser Exeter, which
bore the brunt Of the sea fight, had
arrived at the British naval base
In the Falkland Islands, Oft the Ar
gentlne coast, with 81 dead and Is
wounded,
The Graf spec lay this morning
about half mile outside uruguayan
territorial waters, where Il had been
blown up by her crew at 1850 y, m,
yesterday 10 minutes before the Of
fetal dead line set for its departure
or internment
The fierce flames that had flashed
from II for hours had subsidized and
there was an angry Smouldering
and the occasional explosion OF a
shell down IN It's magasine,
Al dawn, as the flames died, the
eeorAS OF small craft Still surround
ing Il were Still unable to approach
within less than u mile,
Every little while there would be
q larger explosion and sheets OF tuel
oil would be thrown out, TO blaze on
the water,
settles nj Mud
TIE ship seemed settling gradual-
IN Ia the mud ut the river bottom,
urNguayNn authorities, along with
their other diplomatic worries, we're
concerned about the salvage prob
len,-.whether anybody, perhaps the
British admiralty, would believe that
despite the explosions and the scar.
ing fire, there might be something
valuable Still aboard the Graf spec,
II only her ll-ineh guns which eS.
perts said might Still be saved ana
reeonditioned, ~
The exact means by which the
Graf was blown up remained q Ger.
man secret, There were oil sorts
OF reports rs 10 time bombs, elee.
trieally exploded mines and other
means OF destruction, Capt, Langs.
doff and his crew had taken no one
into their confidence, The most
persistent reports were that time
bombs were used, similar TO the
ones with which the Graf spec as
raider had blown up merchant
men, or that three Argentine boats
which went along side few min
utes before It's death provided dy.
Mantle for II,
Newest OF Sea Terrors
The $i8,7s0, 900 Admiral Graf Spec
was the newest OF Germany's three
pocket battleShipS and was designed
10 enable Germany TO eireumvent
the restrictions OF the Versailles
treaty which had prohibited her
building full.Slsed battleships,
The Graf Spec, whose type Is be-
ieved TO be the most powerful TO-.
O00.ton warShip ever built, was COM
pleted June /, 1885, at Wilhelm
shAven,
Germany made her and her two
sister ships-the Deutschland and
the Admiral Seheer-as super eruis-
ers capable OF out-running battle-
ships carrying bigger guns. Their
armament and armor were such
that they were supposed 10 be able
to out-shoot any ship they couldn't
out-run,
The Graf spec, with a speed Of 20
knots, and modern li-ineh Krupp
guns which could hurl q 6T0-pound
shell II mileS-two miles more than
eight. inch cruiser guns firing ass
pound projectiles. The ship was
800 feet long ovel all, 70 As feet
vide at the beam and had q draft
OF n % feet. Normal complement
was s26 officers and men,
AAC HVNhVt 1atNaeetAAks WNAV WsS
first war vessels with hulls elec-
trically welded instead Of riveted
and 10 be propelled by a total OF
$4,000 horsepower,
Besides the Krupp rifles. the ships
had eight guns of SO inches, six I'll
anti-aircraft guns, eight three
FOUNDER anti-aircraft guns and
NiQht oi.inch torpedo tables, They
carry two airplanes and catapults TO
launch them,
The Deutschland was finished In
1888 and the Admiral Scheer In De-
cemher, 1884,
Old Tragedy Recalled
The scuttling OF the German
pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spec
recalled the morning Of June q.
1919, when Germany's World War
navy steamed into the British naval |
base at scapa flow to be informed |
hv the victor, |