Dry Dock: Admiral Graf Spee

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[h2]History[/h2]
With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, World War I officially came to an end and the defeat of Germany was formalized. As per the conditions of the document, the country's fleet was to be cut down to a minimum, and serious restrictions on the construction of new capital ships in terms of their number, water displacement, and main battery caliber were to be imposed.

In the 1920s–30s, German shipbuilders were charged with a challenging task—designing an all-in-one warship that, while conforming to the strict limitations of the Treaty, would still easily be able to disengage from battleships and confidently sink any existing heavy cruisers in battle.

The task was brilliantly accomplished, and in 1933, the resulting Panzerschiff (armored ship) Deutchland was commissioned into the Reichsmarine. The ship had the armament of a battleship, but the speed of a cruiser. Such an unusual combination of characteristics that didn't fall within any international standards of the time required a new classification. A nickname created not without any irony by the British press—"Pocket Battleship"—took root. The third and the most advanced ship of this series was Admiral Graf Spee.

Since the moment she was commissioned on January 6, 1936, until the middle of 1939, Admiral Graf Spee was the primary showpiece of the Kriegsmarine—she took part in parades and represented Germany during visits to other countries. Long before the beginning of the occupation of Poland, the Kriegsmarine's command, in strict confidence, had planned for their surface ships to conduct raiding operations in the Atlantic Ocean if worse came to worst and Great Britain declared war. The pocket battleships were to play the leading role in these sorties.

On August 21, 1939—days before the invasion of Poland—Admiral Graf Spee left the German port of Wilhelmshaven and set off to the South Atlantic. After a month of keeping a low profile, on September 25, the ship received the order to start raiding Allied shipping. Over the course of the following months, the cruiser managed to sink several ships.

By early October, the Allied navies had begun organizing an armed response to the German raider. London was quickest to react—three British forces were deployed to counter Admiral Graf Spee: four heavy cruisers, one battle cruiser, and one aircraft carrier. However, for almost 3 months, the German Panzerschiff successfully carried out her task while evading the enemy.

On December 13, 1939, in the vicinity of the River Plate's estuary, the first real naval battle of World War II broke out. Admiral Graf Spee engaged three British cruisers that, despite being inferior to her in terms of firepower, nevertheless managed to damage her. Forced to look for shelter, she escaped to neutral Uruguay.

However, the British had a firm grasp of the situation thanks to the skillful machinations of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service. The British Representatives masterfully manipulated the Germans by making arrangements for open negotiations with nearby Buenos Aires about the "possibility of the urgent acceptance of two capital ships," by which they pointedly implied Renown and Ark Royal.

The news about the imminent arrival of a battlecruiser left the crew of Admiral Graf Spee with little hope for survival. Unable to break out towards their native waters, 4 days later, the crew scuttled Admiral Graf Spee not far from Montevideo.

You can learn more about the Battle of the River Plate in our video.

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[h2]Modeling the Ship[/h2]

Main battery: six 283 mm/52 guns placed in two LC/28 triple turrets

Secondary battery: eight 150 mm/55 SK C/28 guns place in single mounts

Dual-purpose armament: six 105 mm/65 SK C/33 guns placed in twin Dop. L. C/31 mounts

Anti-aircraft armament: eight 37 mm SK C/30 automatic cannons in twin mounts; ten 20 mm C/38 automatic cannons

Torpedo armament: two quadruple-tube 533 mm torpedo launchers

[h2]Commanding Admiral Graf Spee[/h2]
[h3]Commander with 10 skill points[/h3]

Priority Target
Adrenaline Rush
Superintendent
Concealment Expert

[h3]Commander with 19 skill points[/h3]

Priority Target
Adrenaline Rush
Superintendent
Concealment Expert
Fire Prevention
Basics of Survivability
Last Stand

[h3]Upgrades[/h3]

Main Armaments Modification 1
Damage Control System Modification 1
Aiming Systems Modification 1
Steering Gears Modification 1

[h2]Key Features[/h2]
VI Admiral Graf Spee bristles with battleship-sized main guns and has a strong pool of HP, decent secondary battery, and the Repair Party consumable. Similar to a conventional cruiser, she has torpedoes and the Hydroacoustic Search consumable at her disposal. Admiral Graf Spee is a hybrid ship that offers versatile and spectacular gameplay!

An extremely solid pool of 39,400 HP.
Six 283 mm guns with a firing rate of three rounds per minute and maximum range of 16 km.
Torpedo armament with a range of 8 km.
A lavish set of consumables: Hydroacoustic Search or Defensive AA Fire; Fighter; and Repair Party.
She earns more credits per battle, and her permanent camouflage adds a 50% XP bonus per battle and reduces the cost of the ship's post-battle service by 10%.

VI Admiral Graf Spee and various other rewards from the Dockyard, as well as get a massive discount on VIII Odin.

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