Force K
Force K was based in Freetown, Sierra Leone and consisted of the battlecruiser , the aircraft carrier and destroyers , , and . Force K was to track and destroy German commerce raiders in the South Atlantic, such as the pocket battleship . In December 1939, after the Battle of the River Plate, Force K was sent to the coast of Uruguay to prevent any sortie by , whose captain had taken the ship into Montevideo harbour in Uruguay. After was scuttled, Force K was disbanded and "Ark Royal" escorted the cruiser , which had been damaged in the battle with , back to Britain.