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.
HMS Exeter (68) was a British heavy cruiser of the interwar period and World War II. The keel was laid for this unit in 1928, the launch took place in July 1929, and the entry into service with the Royal Navy - in 1931. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 175.3 meters, total width 17.7 meters, and full displacement - about 10,600 tons. The maximum speed was around 31 knots. The on-board armament at the outbreak of World War II included, among others: 6 203 mm guns, 4 102 mm guns and 2 40 mm cannons. The unit could operate two seaplanes.
HMS Exeter (68) was one of the British York-class heavy cruisers. Cruisers of this type arose as the de facto modernized and reduced County class. Compared to her, they had, above all, weaker weapons, but still had good performance and high seaworthiness. They were also characterized by better armor - especially artillery turrets - and a much better layout of the space on the ship, especially in the bow superstructure. In general, York-class cruisers were viewed as successful units with considerable combat value. In the interwar period, HMS Exeter served in the Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the South Atlantic. His combat career in World War II began very fruitfully, because in December 1939 he took part in the battle at the mouth of the La Plata River, as a result of which the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was sunk. As a result of this battle, however, it suffered serious damage and was under renovation until the beginning of 1941! At the end of that year, he was sent to the Far East, and in 1942 he took part in the Battle of the Java Sea, as a result of which he was sunk, on March 1 this year.
HMS Ajax (22) was a British light cruiser of the Second World War. The keel was laid in 1933, the launch took place in March 1934, and the entry into service with the Royal Navy - in 1935. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 169 meters, total width 17 meters, and full displacement - approx. 9,750 tons. The maximum speed was around 32-33 knots. The on-board armament at the time of the launch included, among others: 8 152 mm guns, 4 102 mm guns and 8 533 mm torpedo tubes. The unit could operate a single seaplane or a Supermarine Walrus flying boat.
HMS Ajax (22) was one of the British light cruisers of the Leander-class. These types of units were built on the basis of the experience gained from the operation of York-class cruisers, and their main task was to protect the convoys against attacks by enemy surface ships. One of the ships of this class, HMS Ajax, was built at the Vickers Armstrong shipyard in Barrow in-Furness, Great Britain. The cruiser took a very active part in World War II, participating in such struggles as the battle at the mouth of La Plata (1939) or near Cape Matapan (1941). The unit also participated in the withdrawal of the Allied troops from Crete in 1941 and protected convoys heading to Malta and besieged Tobruk. HMS Ajax (22) also took part in the Allied landing in Normandy in June 1944. In 1948, HMS Ajax was decommissioned and shortly afterwards sold for scrap.