Describes Graf Spee Sinking

Northern Advocate, 21 February 1940, Page 6

Describes Graf Spee Sinking

Writing to a relative in the Whangarei district, Colin Malcolm, of the crew of H.M.S. Achilles, tells of the Graf Spec engagement. He first writes of Christmas Day on board, when he says: “We managed to get our Christmas Day at anchor, which was a great help, and a good time we had, too, including turkeys for dinner. “The captain, though suffering badly from the wound in his leg, still did the rounds of the messes, accompanied by his officers and what a cheer he got from us all! When you consider how many ladders he had to climb up and down then you can imagine the agony he must have gone thi'ough. He is the most popular captain I have ever served under and our main fear is that Admiralty may try to take him from us and we are all going to do everything in empower to keep him. “We can’t forget that if it hadn’t been for his courage in sticking it out though badly wounded and the efficient way that he handled the ship on Wednesday, December 13, that our casualties would have been much higher and may be the ship on the bottom now. “After his rounds he broke down in his cabin and told his officers that compared to the reception he had just received forward that his C.B. meant nothing to him and that there was no prouder or happier captain in the Navy. “And I’ll bet that there’s no captain who has his troops more solidly behind him. Describes Action. Of the Graf Spee engagement, Colin Malcolm says: “I expect that you all got a thrill when you heard that we had a crack at one of Adolf’s battle waggons. We sure picked something big for our initiation. “I had only been turned in about three-quarters of an houu when the alarm went and I could hear the firing. I just put a coat over my pyjamas and put on my slippers going up on deck. “I could then see the Graf Spee and great spurts of water were flying skywards close to us. I went to my station where I was one of the electrical repair party. “Well, things started to happen from then onwards. Whenever shots landed close to us the bulkheads seemed to spring inwards and away would go more lights and more water from burst pipes. “It was a case of paddle round and we couldn’t go barefooted on account of the broken glass. We were all sorry to lose the four we did and it wasn’t exactly cheerful to see the wounded coming in, though they kept their chins up and I didn’t hear a moan from any of them. When we knew that the Graf Spee was on the run we ventured up to have a look round. Close Calls.

“We certainly had some close calls as the splinters had peppered the port side of the bridge and upperworks as well as the funnel. I was working at a searchlight that had gone 4 wonky ’ when all of a sudden the Graf Spee opened up again and the shells landed right in our wake,'> so they had our range all right, but were outguessed in our speed. “As soon as the first firing concluded we were busy repairing damage. At about sunset I was on the bridge fixing some lights when I heard the captain say that we would attack again. We fired three broadsides without any reply and thought that all his guns must have gone. But then they started. “I went up to my night station on the searchlight and had just got there when the Graf Spee opened up again, i but the shells all fell short.

Slept at Stations. “We slept at our stations that night and it was darned cold and uncomfortable. “In the morning the Cumberland had arrived to reinforce us and on Sunday we were all there waiting and hoping that Graf Spee would come out. When we did get word that she was coming out we revved up to 25 knots and after her. “But about three-quarters of an hour afterwards the spotting, plane reported her scuttled and sinking—and didn’t we cheer! “We were all on top—gun crews on top of their turrets, bridge personnel on top of the bridge, and so on up to the lower yards. The Ajax crew were the same and we cheered each other to the echo. Then they sang “Auld Lang Syne,” and we the Maori farewell. “We were only a couple of ship’s lengths apart and steaming line abreast. It made an impressive sight ,to see the three dark shapes slipping up the Rio Plate in the twilight and to hear the cheering and singing. “Away ahead of us we could see silhouetted against the light sky the huge column of black smoke from our late adversary. “We steamed past her at about 10 p.m. and it was a great sight with the flames billowing out and the portholes lit from the flames within. At each explosion we cheered like the devil. “Well, that was the end of it.”