Beschreibung:

Battle of the River Plate. Four-inch shell shrapnel recovered from HMS Exeter after it exploded from a shell fired from Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December 1939, the large piece of shrapnel presented on a wooden base with brass plaque stamped '4" shell exploded on board H.M.S. Exeter by a fragment of 11" shell fired by Admiral Graf Spee Dec. 13. 1939', height including the base 33.5cm, together with a fine photograph album compiled from 1936-1939, containing approximately 230 (captioned), commencing with HMS Exeter 8th Cruiser Squadron, Aircraft Recovery of a Supermarine Walrus being recovered, Bermuda, ships trophies, Panama Canal, San Francisco, Chilean Earthquake 1939, South Georgia, memorials, Puerto Belgrano, Buenos Aires Argentina, S.A. Division at Night, Jamaica, New York, World's Fair 1939, Washington, Miami, contained in a soft black photograph album with gilt block lettering 'H.M.S. Exeter 1936 to 1939' The Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle of WWII which was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939. The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee engaged a Royal Navy squadron comprising four ships including HMS Exeter. The squadron sighted Graf Spee off the estuary of the River Plate near the coasts of Argentina and Uraguay. The battle commenced and Exeter was severely damaged and forced to retire, Graf Spee also damaged by HMS Ajax and Achilles was in a critical state as her fuel system was crippled. The order was given to scuttle the ship and three days later Captain Hans Langsdorff committed suicide.