page_title: HMNZS Achilles (70)
section_title: Battle of the River Plate
hierarchical_section_title: HMNZS Achilles (70) / Service / Battle of the River Plate
caption_attribution_description: On 23 February 1940 the cruiser HMS Achilles returned to New Zealand after its involvement in the Battle of River Plate. The Achilles was a Leander-class light cruiser, originally constructed by the Royal Navy. It was notable for being the first Royal Navy cruiser to have fire control radar, with the installation of the New Zealand-made SS1 fire-control radar in June 1940. After Second World War service in the Atlantic and Pacific, she was returned to the Royal Navy, then was sold to the Indian Navy in 1948 and recommissioned as INS Delhi. The Battle of River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War and the only episode of the war to take place in South America. It was the Allies’ first naval victory of the Second World War, and also the first time the current New Zealand flag was flown in battle. The crew of the Achilles during the battle was around 60 per cent New Zealanders. As nzhistory.net notes: ‘The crew of the Achilles were hailed as heroes when they returned to New Zealand in February 1940. Parades in Auckland and Wellington (on 2 April) drew huge crowds’ This painting by Frank Norton is part of the National Collection of War Art held by Archives New Zealand. The National Collection of War Art is composed of about 1,500 artworks, including portraits, battle scenes, landscapes and abstracts, depicting those who served New Zealand in times of war, and the arenas in which they served. It includes both official pieces of war art, by artists formally commissioned by the New Zealand government, and other unofficial art works that were acquired by or donated to the collection. The majority of artworks in the collection depict World War One and World War Two, however official war art continues to be commissioned by the New Zealand Defence Force up to the present day. Archives reference: AAAC 898 584/ NCWA Q223 www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=2249846... With thanks to nzhistory.net: '100,000 welcome home HMS Achilles crew', URL: &lt;em&gt;achilles&lt;/em&gt;-crew www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/100%2C000-welcome-home-hms-%26l... (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material from Archives New Zealand
context_page_description: HMNZS Achilles was a Leander-class light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in the Second World War, the second of five in the class. Originally constructed by the Royal Navy, she was loaned to New Zealand in 1936 before formally joining the new Royal New Zealand Navy in 1941. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, alongside HMS Ajax and HMS Exeter and notable for being the first Royal Navy cruiser to have fire control radar, with the installation of the New Zealand-made SS1 fire-control radar in June 1940.
  After Second World War service in the Atlantic and Pacific, she was returned to the Royal Navy. She was sold to the Indian Navy in 1948 and recommissioned as INS Delhi. She was scrapped in 1978.
context_section_description: In the early morning of 13 December 1939, a force consisting of Achilles, Ajax and Exeter detected smoke on the horizon, which was confirmed at 06:16 to be a pocket battleship, thought to be the German battleship Admiral Scheer but which turned out to be Admiral Graf Spee. A fierce battle ensued, at a range of approximately 20 kilometres (11 nmi). Achilles suffered some damage. In the exchange of fire, four crew were killed, her captain, W. E. Parry, was wounded; 36 of Graf Spee’s crew were killed.
  The range reduced to about 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) at around 07:15 and Graf Spee broke off the engagement around 07:45 to head for the neutral harbour of Montevideo which she entered at 22:00 that night, having been pursued by Achilles and Ajax all day. Graf Spee was forced by international law to leave within 72 hours. Faced with what he believed to be overwhelming odds, the captain of  Graf Spee, Hans Langsdorff, scuttled his ship rather than risk the lives of his crew. An ensign flag flown by HMS Achilles during the Battle of the River Plate was donated to Christ Church Cathedral in the Falkland Islands and is still on display hanging on the south wall of the Cathedral at Port Stanley.
caption: HMS Achilles (HMNZS from 1941)  painting by Frank Norton is part of the National Collection of War Art held by Archives New Zealand
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