The Graf Spee was a German pocket battleship that sank several Allied merchant ships in the Atlantic after the outbreak of World War 2. In December 1939, the Graf Spee suffered damage in a battle against British naval forces off the coast of South America. The ship pulled into the Uruguayan port of Montevideo for repairs and to get injured sailors to a hospital. Later forced to leave Montevideo as British forces waited outside Uruguayan waters, the captain of the ship chose to scuttle her rather than have it fall into the hands of the British. On December 17, 1939, the ship was scuttled just outside of the port of Montevideo in the estuary of Rio Plate.
In 2004, an operation was launched to raise the wreck from the Rio Plate estuary. The project has apparently never been completed.
In 2006, the imperial eagle clutching a swastika, which had adorned the stern of the ship, was recovered from the sea and stored in a naval warehouse. Thus began years of legal wrangling over who owned the Graf Spee remains and what to do with her, particularly the eagle. A court eventually ruled that Uruguay was the rightful owner.
This month, the president of Uruguay stated that the eagle would be melted down and transformed into a dove as a sign of peace. Many objected saying that the eagle should be housed in a museum.
Now it appears that the eagle will not be melted down due to popular opposition.
The below two articles are from the Uruguayan media and German media respectively and translated by Fousesquawk.
From Uypress (Uruguay)
"Conserve the eagle of the Graf Spee in a museum"
Signatures collected to avoid the Graf Spee eagle being transformed into a dove: More than 17,800 (signatures)
June 17, 2023
Montevideo (Uypress)- The announcement by President Luis Lacalle Pou on the conversion of the Graf Spee eagle into a dove of peace generated mixed opinions and provoked a group of citizens to collect signatures on the Change.org platform under the title: "Conserve the Graf Spee eagle in a museum," which has surpassed 17,806 (signatures).
"We consider the transformation of the Graf Spee eagle to be inappropriate. (The eagle) should be conserved in a museum. History should be remembered in order not to commit the same errors. New generations are prone to forgetfulness and recidivism. Remember the bad, keeping in mind the symbols that represent them is an enormous responsibility for society, both locally and globally," the petition states on Change.org.
The publication already has more than 17,806 people who have signed, and among the comments, appears that of the actor and comedian, Diego Delgrossi. "It is part of the history of Uruguay and a stage in world history. We do not have an excess of material from that period. We do a disservice to history."
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From Berliner Zeitung (Germany)
Uruguay: The fight over the Imperial Eagle of the "Graf Spee" continues
The 350-kilo bronze eagle from the stern of a German warship was actually to be melted down. Now apparently, there will be no dove.
June 19, 2023 at 06:30
Caption: In 2006, Uruguayan workers salvage the stern eagle of the German ironclad ship, "Admiral Graf Spee", sunk in River Plate outside Montevideo in 1939.
The stern eagle of the German ironclad ship. "Admiral Graf Spee" from the Second World War will now apparently not be transformed into a dove of peace. On Friday, Uruguay's president, Luis Lacalle Pou announced the 2.80 meter-high and 350-kilogram bronze eagle with a swastika and oak leaf wreath would be melted down. But now he has decided differently. On Sunday, he announced to the press that there is no agreement on the handling of the eagle.
After a years-long legal battle, a court had recently awarded the eagle to Uruguay. Now the Uruguayan artist Pablo Achugarry was to prepare a dove that would have served as a mold for the transformation. A symbol of violence would become a symbol of peace, so the idea went. However, there was much opposition to the plan to melt down the historic eagle from the public and also Lacalle's own party. " I still believe it is a good idea. But a president must listen and represent," Pou said, according to the daily newspaper, El Pais.
Bronze eagle of "Admiral Graf Spee" recovered in 2006.
At the start of World War 2, the "Admiral Graf Spee" was sailing in the Indian Ocean and South Atlantic and had sunk 9 British merchant ships there. The Royal Navy was hot on her heels and finally was able to catch her off the coast of Uruguay. Somewhere off the sea resort of Punta del Este in December 1939, came the first great sea battle of the Second World War between the "Graf Spee" on the one side, and the heavy cruiser "Exeter" as well as the light cruisers, "Ajax" and "Achilles" on the other side.
Heavily damaged, the "Graf Spee" fled to the port of Montevideo, but was given insufficient time there to repair the ship. Captain Hans Langsdorff had the ironclad ship sunk in River Plate off Montevideo and shot himself that same evening. The crew crossed over into then-still-neutral Argentina while some men remained in Uruguay. Plans to raise the wreck have been postponed over the decades in view of the difficulties. According to media reports, the Imperial Eagle was recovered in 2006.
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