In his Broadcast of December 18th 1939, which we reproduce below, Mr Churchill First Lord of the Admiralty, recounted with pardonable pride some exploits of the Royal Navy during the preceding week on both sides of the world.
Chief of these was the battle of the River Plate on December 13th, which ended four days later in the ignominious scuttling of the “Graf Spee” in MontevideoHarbour.
The news which has come from Montevideo has been received with thankfulness in our islands and with unconcealed satisfaction throughout the greater part of the world.
The “ Graf Spee” which has been for many weeks preying upon the trade of the South Atlantic, has met her doom, and throughoutthe vast expanse of water the peaceful shipping of all nations may for a spell at least enjoy the freedom of the seas.
The German pocket battleship, in spite of her far heavier metal and commanding range, was driven to take refuge in a neutral harbour by the three British cruisers, whose names are on every lip.
Once in harbour she had the choice of submitting in the ordinary manner to internment which would have been unfortunate for her, or of coming out to fight and going down in battle like the “Rawalpindi”, which would have been honourable to her.
She discovered a third alternative, she came out not to fight but to sink herself in the fairway of a neutral State , from whom she had received such shelter and succour as international law prescribes.
At that time the pocket battleship “Graf Spee” knew that the British heavy ships “Renown” and “Ark Royal” were still a thousand miles away oiling at Rio.
All that awaited her outside the harbour were the two six inch gun cruisers “Ajax” and “Achilles,” which had chased her in and the eight inch gun cruiser “Cumberland” which had arrived to take the place of the damaged “Exeter”.
Our own losses have not been slight; there is no harm now in stating that the “Ajax” in which was Commodore Harwood, now by His Majesty’s pleasure, Rear Admiral Sir Henry Harwood, K.C.B.had two out of her four turrets knocked out while the “ Exeter” bore up against 40 to 50 hits, many of them from shells three times the weight of those she could fire back.
Three of her eight inch guns were smashed, and she sustained nearly 100 casualties, by far the greater part killed.
Nevertheless, the “Exeter” remained outside the harbour of Montevideo , ready although crippled, to take part in a fresh attack ,and she only departed to care for her wounded and injuries when she was relieved by the timely arrival of the “Cumberland”
Daring Feats of British Submarines
Here at home in the North Sea our British submarines have had the best week I can remember in this or the last war.
The exploits of H.M. Submarine “Salmon” last week are remarkably praiseworthy in the highest degree.
First she blew to pieces by a volley of torpedoes one of the larger German U –Boats which was going out upon a raiding foray, she abstained from torpedoing the “ Bremen” when that enormous ship was at her mercy .
Her other encounter was the most important point.
On Thursday last she observed the German Fleet vessels at one of their rare excursions, and fired torpedoes at a cruiser squadron.
She hit one 6,000 ton cruiser with one torpedo and the second cruiser of equal size with two.
These cruisers may have been able to limp home, but this is by no means certain in the case of one of them.
When they have reached home they will be out of action for many a long month.
Meanwhile the entire German Fleet abandoned whatever enterprise they had and returned in dudgeon to the harbours they had recently quitted.
Now today H.M. Submarine “Ursula” reports that on the 14th she sank a 6,000 ton cruiser of the Koln class although it was surrounded by German destroyers.
A considerable proportion of the total German cruiser strength has been sunk or put out of action in a single week, the same week in which almost on the other side of the globe the pocket battleship “Graf Spee” met her inglorious end.
The Nazi Navy and Air Force are venting their wrath for those heavy blows by redoubling their efforts and sinking fishing smacks and drowning fisherman in the North Sea, and yesterday and today their Air Force has been trying to bomb unarmed merchant ships , including an Italian ship which were moving up and down the East Coast of Britain.
They have even in some cases machine gunned the sailors on the decks of these unarmed merchant ships and fishing boats.
I am glad to tell you, however that the heat of their fury has far exceeded the accuracy of their aim.
Out of 24 ships attacked by bombs yesterday and today only six small boats engaged in fishing and one small coasting vessel have not even been hit by the many bombs cast upon them.
These outrages are the tactics of a guilty regime which feels the long arm of sea power laid upon its shoulder.
Although German mines of all kinds are being scattered in the seas around our isles, I am able to tell you that the whole vast movement of British traffic is proceeding uninterrupted.
I can also tell you that yesterday a division of the Canadian Army, strongly escorted across the ocean, disembarked in one of our home harbours for the purpose of intensive training in England before joining their comrades on the Western Front.
Tribute to Leaders of the Royal Navy
In view of the successes that have been achieved by the Royal Navy I take the opportunity of drawing the attention of the public to the fact that the present satisfactory position of the naval war is due to the conduct of operations by the First Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, also to the naval staff at the Admiralty, of whom Rear Admiral Phillips is Deputy Chief.
Although from time to time a success is recorded , it must not be forgotten that risks are being run all over the world in the protection of trade and for the control of the seas, and that preparations have to be made in many quarters, most of which are never needed and never see the light of day.
It is necessary that the public should have clearly in their minds the principal officers who are conducting these very difficult affairs.
The Commander- in –Chief of the Main Fleet , Admiral Sir Charles Forbes, has from the beginning of the war maintained the strong guard required in the Atlantic and North Sea, keeping his ships almostconstantly at sea under continued menace of U-Boats ,aircraft and mines.
The Main Fleet has been more days at sea since this war began then has ever been required in any equal period of modern naval war.
These responsibilities could not have been discharged if the professional skill of the Admiral had not been sustained by unwearied vigilance and a buoyancy of spirit in the face of many dangers.
But after all, no leadership or expert naval direction could be successful unless it was supported by the whole body of officers and MEN of the Navy.
It is upon these faithful trusty servants in the great ships and cruisers that the burden falls directly day after day.
In particular the flotillas of destroyers, of submarine watching in the throat of the Elbe of anti submarine craft, of minesweepers multiplying on a toil and strain which only those who are informed in detail of their efforts can understand.
The chance of honour came suddenly to the three cruisers engaged in the South Atlantic.
We have to go back a long way in naval history to find any more brilliant and resolute fighting than that of the “Exeter” “Ajax”, and “Achilles”.
But if the call had come elsewhere in the oceans or in the narrow seas, skill and courage of equal quality would have been forthcoming.
Many vexatious tasks lie before the Royal Navy and as I always warn you, rough and violent times lie ahead, but everything that has happened since the beginning of this war should give the nation confidence that in the end the difficulties will be surmounted, the problems solved, the duty done.
