This is the Admiral Graf Spee, a German Pocket Battleship from early World War 2 (1939).

Graf Spee was able to slip past the British defence in the North Sea and North Atlantic thanks to her Radar capability. She opertated in the south of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sinking Allied Transport ships. She managed to sink seven transports without being detected.

The captain of the Graf Spee was a good man. Every ship his vessel sank he made sure that everyone was rescued from the sea and with one of the crews from a Transport he had their rice stock saved as not to go between the crew's religion or culture.

When the Graf Spee sank her 8th transport the crew of that ship managed to send a destress signal and so did the 9th. These signals were intercepted by three British Warships. These signals also gave the Graf Spee's position so the warships were able to find her.

When the 3 ships attacked the Graf Spee they soon found that the ship they were attacking was far more powerful than all three of them. One of the British ships was rendered totally useless apart from one gun that was still functional and she wounded one of the others but instead of adding three warships to her list of kills she broke off the attack and headed into the River Plate.

The captain scuttled the ship in the River Plate as to what i remember was that he thought there were British or Allied reinforcements heading towards them and to prevent his ship from falling into enemy hands or being sunk by the enemy he sank his ship himself.

Artwork (c) Me