Admiral Graf Spee was a German heavy cruiser, also known as a pocket battleship, the keel of which was laid in 1931 and launched in June 1934. The battleship entered the rope service in the German Navy (German Kriegsmarine) in January 1936. The ship was 186 m long, 21.6 m wide, and had a full displacement of 16,200 tons. The maximum speed of Admiral Graf Spee was around 28-29 knots. The main armament was 6 280 mm guns in two triple turrets, and the secondary armament included: 8 150 mm guns or 6 105 mm guns.
Admiral Graf Spee was one of three Deutschland class ships launched in the 1930s. The ships of this type were theoretically built in accordance with the provisions of the Versailles Treaty of 1919, which imposed the maximum displacement on German ships, but in fact their full displacement clearly exceeded these limits. Deutschland-type units were built in such a way as to have an overwhelming advantage in the artillery battle with any British or French heavy cruiser. The combat career of Admiral Graf Spee began during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). However, his participation in World War II was very short - on August 21, 1939, he sailed to the South Atlantic, and at the end of September that year he was ordered to attack every Allied merchant ship. From September 30 to December 7, 1939, he sank 9 British merchant ships. On December 13, 1939, it was detected at the mouth of the La Plata River by Allied ships (the so-called G squadron). There he fought a short battle with the Allied forces, and then was blocked by them in port. As a result, it was self-sunk by the crew on December 17, 1939.
