After clearing harbour, the battle. ship cast anchor five miles off the Uruguayan coast, safe within Argen-nian territorial waters in the estuary of the River Plate, 'Sea cocks in the stern wore opened and time bombs sel at vital points, At 705" pin, barely half an hour after finally" clearing Montevideo, the Graf Spee spouted a cloud of smoke, Tis crew, all aboard the Tacoma' by that time, watched sadly as the ship, their second home, sank lower and' lower, Two Argentinian warships cruised in the vicinity, maintaining a "death watch patrol to See to the last that international law was observed, 735 p.m, local time, the frst of three ferrule explosions shook the war-searred and weather-beaten battleship. Pieces of equipment the decks were hurled out to sea, Seconds after the third explosion shook the ship, the Admiral. Grat Spee heaved for the last. time and then plunged to the bottom of the estuary, leaving only tumbled waters and a cloud of steam and smoke, Twelve Near Death Earlier, in the day, indications of the warship's impending departure were given when 31 seriously wounded siiers, 12 near death, were landed a Montevideo, 'A Havas correspondent who cruis-edwin a motorboat not 100" yards from the German vessel saw shortly aller noon thay repairs were. being concluded and preparations for salling. completed, 'Workers who had Inboured feverishly to repair' the damage incurred during Wednesday's battle then were seen to lay down their tools and return ashore, Supplies and fuel had been taken aboard.
The Graf Spee's departure was thought that, if the warship Intended to make @ Aght of it, it would slip out before nightfall ' so fas to have the cloak of night to hide' its movements after "it had cleared harbour, which was safe anyway, The scuttled ship, the end of whose career as a raider was sounded by the Exeter, Achilles and Ajax Wednesday morning, was a sister-ship of the Deutschland "and" Admiral von Scheer, oth also 10,000-ton pocket battleships,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.