Originally Posted by jorgeI
No radar on the Graf Spee. Sorry. There is much historical data and literature on the Battle Of The River Plate as this was known at the time (and as mentioned also a movie) about this being one of the last naval engagements where no radar was used. First use of radar at sea was about six months later during the hunt for the Battleship Bismarck, where two British Cruisers, Norfolk and Suffolk where equipped with some of the first radar sets. Pete's post is correct. There were only three cruisers (two light Ajax & Achilles) and one heavy (Cumberland sent fromt eh Falklands to replaced the damaged Exeter)to guard the entire River Plate estuary which is very wide, and without radar, impossible to cover, although they did have aircraft on board the cruisers.


I believe that Graf Spee did have a "radar antenna" of sorts, possibly for gun laying, as the British intellegence took pictures of it. Whether this installation was none-operational, or whether it was actually for something else, I don't know..

Last edited by Pete E; 04/16/14.

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