Word: portly
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...identified as the light Achilles (7,030 tons) and the heavy Exeter (8,390 tons) -were flanking out to sea. Ajax apparently did the same, astern of Spee. This meant two disadvantages for the German -shoals and shore to starboard, glaring rising sun behind the enemy to port. Captain Langsdorff gave the order to work out to sea, into deeper water...
...firing was tops, the Germans got 1.5%, the British 2.6%. Here the average may well have been 2% in the first phases. Spee suffered two especially bad hits-which must have been 256-pound shells from Exeter, since they both pierced heavy armament. One of them, high on the port quarter detonating a split second after getting inside, ripped gaping holes in side and deck. The other probably decided the battle. It pocked Spee's control tower fair and square. Lights went out. Telephones went dead. The central fire control went out of whack. Some of Spee...
Battle shifted from shells and smoke screens to words and laws. How long should Uruguay allow the Spee to stay? Articles 14 and 17 of The Hague Convention of 1907: A belligerent ship may remain in a neutral port only 24 hours, unless to repair damages affecting seaworthiness; under no circumstances may she repair armaments...
Aboard the Exeter as she limped off toward the British base of Port Stanley* in the Falkland Islands, 1,000 miles to the south, were 61 dead men, and 23 wounded. Commodore Harwood was notified by radio that he had been knighted and promoted to Rear Admiral. Ajax and Achilles got off comparatively lightly: between them only eleven dead and eight wounded...
...great battle off Port Stanley, 25 years ago this month, Admiral Graf von Spee, namesake of the pocket battleship, lost his ship, his battle, his life...