There is a distance of 126 miles between the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, and the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo.
During a recent cruise, our ship sailed across the estuary of the River Plate at night so there was not much to see on the short journey. But I was on the alert for any sound of scraping metal.
More travels: Enjoy the ‘SLO’ life in San Luis Obispo and points beyond
The mouth of the river is rather shallow, and also on Dec. 18, 1939, the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was sunk under the orders of its captain, Hans Langsdorf. Some parts of it still remain.
News of this end to one of the Nazis’ most feared fighting vessels was greeted with much jubilation by the British, as up to then they had little to cheer about in those dark early days of WWII.
Even though Germany was not allowed to build large naval ships, according to the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed at the end of the first World War, they went ahead and pushed the envelope to maximize the effectiveness of a new design.
Graf Spee became a scourge to shipping both naval and merchant marine in the South Atlantic. She sunk many ships and killed and imprisoned many sailors.
The Royal Navy, together with the French fleet, made concerted efforts to seek her out.
It fell to the British to eventually engage the enemy in several skirmishes, which left both navies reeling from the effects. HMS Ajaz and HMS Exeter were both damaged with many seamen killed, but the Graf Spee too incurred sufficient damage to force her to seek port and she sailed into Montevideo for repairs.
The Uruguay government, although neutral, was friendly toward the British and issued an ultimatum that the German vessel must leave port within 72 hours or face internment for the duration of the war.
Such internment would mean that British agents would be able to scour the ship for its secrets and new designs.
In addition, British intelligence had successfully worked to convince the Germans that the Royal Navy’s strength was much greater than it was. Capt. Langsdorf was faced with a dreadful decision.
On Dec. 18, he sailed his ship into the bay with 40 men on board. The ship was packed throughout with explosives and after the crew had been evacuated, the ship was blown up. It took two days for the wreckage to finally sink and the smoke to clear away.
Two days later, Captain Langsdorf shot himself in his Buenos Aries hotel room, falling on the colors of his fated command.
Close to 80 years later Montevideo is still very aware of this history and over time, parts of the Graf Spee have been collected from the bottom. A large Nazi eagle and swastika have recently been retrieved, but are considered to be too inflammatory to be put on display.
The city itself looked a little gloomy during our visit. The day was rather gray which did not help the atmosphere. It’s a compact place with several statues of armored men on horseback which seems to be the way of earlier times.
The center of town is a mix of architectural styles and at one time the building at the West End of the central square was said to be the tallest on the continent. That claim has been eclipsed by many other countries since.
Uruguay seems also to be in the middle of an experiment with socialism, which is not helping the people to look too cheerful. But nonetheless, the government buildings are rather grand.
As we returned to the docks to rejoin our cruise ship, we passed by a monument to the Graf Spee. It looked a little forlorn sitting with some of the other relics that have been brought up.
It is impossible to pass it by without thinking of the dreadful costs of war and the price so many have paid. No jubilation on either side these days, just respect for those who perished.
“Trevor’s Travels (in Southern California)” is available from amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. You can reach Trevor Summons at trevorsummons@hotmail.com.
