" Ringside " Story of Battle

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 296, 15 December 1939, Page 7

" Ringside " Story of Battle

Radioed by South American Lightship FURTHER DETAILS OF GREAT FIGHT United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. Received Thursday, 7.20 p.m. NEW YORK, Dec. 13. The American Associated Press Monte Video correspondent says the Punta del Este lightship radioed details of the naval engagement and South American listeners heard a running story broadcast like a round-by-round description of a prize fight. It is not known when the ships made contact. Rumours that the Admiral Scheer and Achilles were in an engagement persisted throughout the afternoon. The lightship reported the Admiral Scheer at 4 p.m. with “a battleship believed to be the Barham, following. ’ ’ How the Barham was mentioned was not explained at first but it was later authoritatively pointed out that there was a similarity in the Barham’s profile to the Achilles. At 6 p.m. a Uruguayan port oflicial sighted two British warships twenty miles astern of the German raider. At 8 p.m. Punta del Este reported that the ships had disappeared but twenty detonations lasted ten minutes. At 8.15 p.m. the ships were nine miles off Lunta Ballenas proceeding in a south-west direction. Further gunfire was heard by the listeners and it was believed the raider was attempting to escape to a neutral Uruguayan port. The American United Press Monte Video correspondent says the Graf Spec’s attack on the Ajax is reported to have opened the fight. The Achilles was nearby off Piriapolis defending a French liner. Twelve shots were heard at Punta del Este in the first engagement. When firing ceased a smoke pall blotted out the Graf Spee, and the Ajax was seen steaming westward toward Rio de la Plata. The Uruguayan cruiser Uruguay on a neutrality patrol was eight miles away. The Buenos Aires correspondent of the American Associated Press says there was further gunfire after the ships disappeared, gradually working up to a crescendo at 8.15 p.m., Monte Video time. The American United Press Monte Video representative says the Graf Spee anchored in Monte Video outer harbour shortly before midnight. The New York Times’ Monte Video correspondent says the Graf Spee’s superstructure was badly damaged. She has thirty dead and sixty wounded.