German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee sunk the British merchant ships Tairoa and Streonshalh in December 1939

Admiral Graf Spee. @warshipsresearch/blogspot.com

German Admiral Graf Spee in 1939 disguise. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

An item reported that the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee(1) unk on 3 December 1939 the 7,983 tons British ss Tairoa which left Durban, South Africa on 28 November 1939 and the 3,895 tons ss Streonshalh on 7 December and which had left Montevideo, Uruguay on 26 November 1939.

Note

1. Building ordered from Admiral Graf Spee as the Ersatz Braunschweig. Laid down on the Reichmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven, Germany with yard number 125 on 1 October 1932, launched on 30 June 1934, commissioned on 6 January 1936, successful in destroying 50.089 gross tonnage of merchant ships, participated in the Battle of the Rio de La Plata on 13 December 1939 and finally scuttled to prevent capture on 17 December 1939.

Source

The National Archives, Kew Gardens, England CAB-66-4-13 Weekly Résumé (No. 15) of the naval, military and air situation from 0700 7 December to 0700 14 December 1939.