A new Battle of the River Plate is brewing

At the outbreak of World War II, the German pocket-battleship Graf Spee launched an audacious and far-ranging raid on British ships and commerce in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.




She was brought to bay in the Battle of the River Plate, following which she sought refuge in Montevideo, Uruguay. A few days later, acting on direct orders from Hitler, her crew scuttled the ship just outside the harbor, rather than see her defeated by what was believed to be an overwhelming force of British warships waiting for her to emerge. (In reality there was no such force, but British propaganda had been very successful in implying its presence.)




Some years later, a Uruguayan businessman purchased salvage rights to something like 1,000 shipwrecks along that country's coast - including the Graf Spee. He's taken a number of items from the wreck, and plans to take more: but his plans and actions have now aroused opposition in Germany, which fears that neo-Nazi groups and individuals might try to use Nazi symbols from the wreck as historical artefacts to arouse support. Earth Times reports:

Uruguay on Wednesday demanded concrete assistance from Berlin for efforts to salvage the German battleship Graf Spee, which sank off the coast of Montevideo in December 1939.

Hours after German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle visited the small South American country, Alfredo Etchegaray told the German Press Agency dpa that he wants the European country to get beyond words with relation to the sunken ship.

The Uruguayan businessman has a contract with the Uruguayan government that grants him rights over around 1,000 ships that have sunk off the country's coast in the past 300 years.

He asked that Germany put an end to its opposition to exhibitions of the already-salvaged portions of the Graf Spee, such as the huge bronze eagle that was once on display on the battleship's stern. The bird has a swastika in its claws and is currently being kept by the Uruguayan Navy.

. . .

According to his own account, Etchegaray has been working to salvage the ship, or at least important portions of it, since 1984. In 2004, he recovered the Graf Spee's telemeter [rangefinder - shown below], which weighs tonnes and is currently also in the hands of the Navy.




A free exhibition of the recovered material was held at a Montevideo hotel in 2004, but was cancelled after a month, "due to pressures from Germany," Etchegaray said. The Navy then took charge of the salvaged goods.

"I understand the precautions that need to be taken and the historical value of (the material)," Etchegaray said.

However, he asked that no unnecessary hurdles are put in the way of efforts to put the remains of the Graf Spee to cultural and historical use.

He noted that he has spent a lot in his efforts, and that Germany should heed his calls for "help and compensation."

Germany has no claims on the ship, because several documents prove that it sold its wreckage to a Uruguayan who has since died.

In turn, the German Foreign Minister has asked that any recovered items be exhibited in a museum, rather than sold for profit to whoever wants to buy them. Expatica.com reports:

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called Tuesday for wreckage from a Nazi-era warship recovered off the coast of Uruguay to be displayed in a museum rather than auctioned to the public.

During a brief visit to Montevideo, Westerwelle was asked about the ongoing diplomatic dispute over parts of what was once the pride of the Nazi navy, the "Admiral Graf Spee," since they were salvaged in 2006.

"We want to prevent wreckage from the ship, in particular the Nazi symbols, from landing on the market for military insignia," he told reporters after talks with his Uruguayan counterpart, Luis Almagro.

"We want the remains of the Graf Spee to be dealt with properly."

The ship was scuttled in 1939 in shallow waters off Montevideo. Its wreckage includes a giant bronze eagle with spread wings with a swastika under its talons -- a favored Nazi symbol that could fetch a handsome sum at auction.




Businessman Alfredo Etchegaray participated in an operation to salvage the eagle and has asserted his right to sell it.

But the German government opposes a public auction of the World War II-era relic, which adorned the legendary battleship's stern, claiming that it belongs to Berlin and should not land in the hands of Nazi-memorabilia fanatics.

"We are also willing to do our part to contribute to the necessary historical approach here," Westerwelle said.

"In a museum, the historical context could be carefully presented. We are seeking a constructive solution."

There's more at the link.

I think it's a great pity that this has degenerated into a sordid commercial tug-of-war. I understand Senor Etchegaray's desire to make a profit, but he seems to want to almost blackmail the German Government into subsidizing his commercial endeavors. He's betting that their desire to stop neo-Nazi exploitation of the wreck's artifacts will force them to come up with more money for him. However, the German Government's also being disingenuous. If Senor Etchegaray indeed owns the wreck, as appears to be the case, then he has a right to look for a return on his investment, and they're wrong to expect him to set up a museum (at his expense) rather than sell the artefacts for what they'll fetch (which will probably be a considerable sum, given the fame of the ship and the battle).

Captain Langsdorff of the Graf Spee was, by all accounts, an honorable seaman and an officer of the 'old school'. He shot himself a few days after scuttling his ship, and is buried in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm sure he'd be most unhappy to see the reputation of his last command besmirched by so unseemly a squabble. As much for the sake of his honored memory as for any other reason, I hope the two sides can reconcile their differences and come to some agreement.

Peter