Montevideo was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold. Its natural harbour soon developed into a commercial center competing with the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.

The River Plate is the esturary formed by the combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. Where the rivers join it is 30 miles wide and it runs to the southwest growing to 137 miles wide where it opens onto the Atlantic Ocean, making it the widest estuary in the world.

The narrow channel into Montevideo is full of container ships and as you aproach you can see the mast of the sunken ship Highland Chieftain. The wreck of the Graff Spee is some 3 miles to your left.

The mseum also yielded a cannon from Nelson’s former flagship Agamemnon.

The Graff Spee

The Highland Chieftain

The Agamemnon

Montivideo is the largest city, capital and chief port of Uruguay. Its harbour is one of the most important in the America’s. Surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches the city of Montivideo is a mix of historic old buildings (they have just realized what they have and are now busy preserving them) large shady squares, museums and art galleries. It feels very European. The nicest part for the tourist is the old part of the city with lots of nice bars and chi-chi restaurants. The population is nearly one point five million which is roughly 44 percent of the total population of Uruguay.

Graff Spee in Montivideo Harbour

Graff Spee scuttled.

(these two photo’s are courtesy of www.deutschland-class.dk)

This is a fantastic website. If you want to know everything about the Graff Spee, click the link

For the British and Germans however, Montivideo is most famous for the Battle of the River Plate and the destruction of the great German pocket battleship, the Graff Spee, chased into Montivideo by the British cruisers Ajax, Achilles and Exeter.Unable to escape, her Captain was ordered by Hitler to scuttle the ship, and he later commited suicide.

The massive range finder.

The massive range finder.

Right in the centre of the port is one of her huge anchors as well as the massive range finder that sat right at the top of the ship. About fifteen minutes taxi ride away along the coast is a small Naval Museum at Puerto Del Buceo.

The anchor.

Inside the museum has plenty of photographs of the Graff Spee sinking and the famous photo of Captain Langsdorff giving a naval saluted at the graveside of his fallen crew members when everybody else was giving the Nazi salute.

Langsdorff’s sword.

Some say that Hitler was insenced by his actions, seeing them as disloyal and this probably contributed to Langsdoff’s suicide as he would have most likely been put up against a wall and executed on his return to Germany.

Admiral Harwood’s uniform.

Other items of interest are Langsdorffs ceremonial sword and a uniform from one of the petty officers. Interestingly there is also a uniform donated by Admiral Harwood who masterminded the victory over the German battleship.

Gun from the Graff Spee.

Outside the museum is a 150mm gun raised from the vessel and another small anchor around the side. Its only a small museum, but it is packed full of other stuff about the Uruguayan navy and it is all very well presented.Entrance is free and it is open from 9am to 12pm, then 2pm to 6pm except Thursdays. Well worth a visit.

Photo courtesy Reuters.

On Feb 2006 the eagle figurehead from the stern of the vessel was recovered. To protect the feelings of those still sensitive to Nazi Germany, the swasita on the figurehead was covered as it was pulled out of the water. This reignited all the fears about neo nazism. However the idea is to salvage as much of the wreck as possible. Unfortunately this needs a ton of money so the Eagle will probably be sold, and it will be difficult to stop it getting into the wrong hands.

I am grateful to Simon Shaw for these photos.

I am grateful to Simon Shaw for these photos.

As you come up the River Plate to Montevideo you can see the mast of the Highland Chieftain sticking out of the water from miles away. The un-initiated on the ship thought that this was the remains of the Graff Spee. No such luck as she lies broken up underwater some 3 miles away.

The Highland Chieftain was built in 1929 by Harland and Wolf of Belfast, and made her maiden voyage on the London toRiver Plate service, on the 21st of February and later transferred to Royal Mail in 1932. She commenced wartime trooping duties in 1939, but was damaged on the 11th of October, 1940, during a bombing raid on Liverpool.

The mast of the Highland Chieftain.

After the war she did not resume her commercial operations until 1948 on the River Plate service, and was sold out of the fleet in January of 1959 to the Calpe Shipping Company of Gibraltar and converted for use in the whaling industry,and renamed Calpean Star.

The Highland Chieftain

In March of 1960 she suffered rudder damage when off Montevideo, and after leaving under tow she suffered a boiler room explosion which resulted in her being abandoned.The wreck wasn’t cut up for scrap until 1965.

I am very grateful To Andy Jones for the following information and photos. He took the silhouette photo whilst serving on H.M.S.Protector in December 1967

Andy Jones: I believe I photographed the Highland Chieftain (Calpean Star) in 1967. At the time I was serving in the Royal Navy on board HMS Protector the navy’s antarctic patrol ship. We were entering Montevideo for the Christmas period. I was on the upper deck with my camera and took a sunlight silhouette photograph which later won a photographic competition. Oddly you say the ship was cut up for scrap in 1965, if the ship I photographed is the same ship then it was far from being cut up by late 1967. The photograph I have shows the two funnels, bridge and one deck below the funnels. Apart from the foremast, two derricks on the foredeck and two on the afterdeck the rest is sunken. I have viewed the photograph you have and cross matched it with my photograph and I am about 90% sure it is the same ship. Other photographs I have seen only show the foremast and the top of the front derricks. I may have the only photograph of the Highland Chieftain as it was in the 1960’s.

The Highland Chieftain. Photo Andy Jones

Article translated from Spanish. This vessel has known better times, of course. Was launched in 1928, Known as “Highland Chieftain” Part of a fleet of several cruise ships (passenger ships and cargo) identical. After passing the usual tests, entered service in 1929, A maiden voyage between London and Buenos Aires. It continued for years doing transatlantic voyages carrying cargo and passengers between Europe and South America. Displacing 14,000 tons and measured 163 meters long. Accommodate 150 passengers in the luxurious first class, 70 passengers in second class and to 500 in third class (something tells me that the latter were crowded, no?)

H.M.S.Protector at the Falklands. Photo Andy Jones

At the outbreak of World War II, the British seized it for use as troop transports. In that role the ship suffered bombing that severely damage it and put it out of service until 1948. In 1959 was acquired by the company “Calpe Shipping Co., and entirely refurbished and renamed Calpan Star. In early summer of 1959The ship carrying a cargo of birds and other animals to a zoo in Germany. Among them was an albatross, Large-sized seabird. Prior to arriving in port, one of the sailors gave the albatross improper food and he died. This situation is unfortunate, in the beliefs of the seamen, who identified the bird as a “symbol of friendship” and avoid disturbing them or hurting them. So it was no surprise that on reaching the next port, Liverpool, several of the crew demanded their pay and chose to stay there, knowing that the vessel had been “cursed.”

The Calpean – Highland Chieftain

With some replacement crew, Calpean Star completed its journey, being allocated to the Norwegian fleet after the Antarctic. And there the trouble began. The ship suffered first several faults in the generators. Repaired them, then detected a leak of oil into the water supply. Then a break in the main engine compressor would leave it adrift for several days. When the repairs were completed, the rudder of the ship suffered a fracture, such that it had to be towed to Montevideo to solve the problem.

I am grateful to Craig Pearson for sending the photos below of his Uncle and two friends around 1950. If anyone knows who the crew are, please get in touch.

Crew members painting ship. Photo Craig Pearson

This was done and the necessary repairs were completed. But just as “Calpean Star”Left Montevideo, a huge explosion destroyed the engine room and started a fire. Crew members drowned during abandoning ship, which many identify with the sailor who killed the albatross. And the ship would founder hopelessly damned.

More crew-names unknown. Photo Craig Pearson

The curious fact: the ship’s remaining crew were repatriated by air. And in the first leg of the trip had a problem: the landing gear of the plane broke down when it landed in Rio de Janeiro. The seamen declared that only by coming back to their land felt that the curse was over. Believe it or not.

I am grateful to Ian Fordham for this photo of his Great Uncle, Alfred Roy Murley, and the information below

Family Photo.

I attach a family photo taken in Swansea where the family lived about 1910 at some celebration, maybe Xmas? Alfred Roy Murley is on the left and his stepfather John Rowlands second right. Alfred was born Swansea in 1881, gained his masters certificate in 1902 and won the DSC at Gallipoli in May 1915 whilst Chief Officer on the Cardiganshire.He acted as a ship’s master with Royal Mail lines for many years both pre and between the wars. He served mostly on the S America run or to the west coast of the USA and Canada. At the start of WW2, I gather that the RM packets continued in service for a while before being assigned as troopships and operating with the convoys.His stepfather, John Rowlands was originally from Anglesey and also a master mariner. His boat was torpedoed by a U-boat in April 1915 off the Falklands and he went down with it. I was in a contingent of RAF trainee aircrew posted to South Africa for flying training and I boarded the Highland Chieftain in the centre of Glasgow on Sunday morning 18th July 1943. In the afternoon we sailed slowly down the Clyde and anchored in the vicinity of Gourock where a number of other ships were already assembling.The next morning we set off as part of convoy WS32 joining with convoy KMF20 the next day. We were escorted by three frigates and two sloops and joined by the cruiser Charybdis from the 22nd to 25th when we were joined by another four frigate and two destroyers until we reached Freetown on 28th.

I am grateful to Ted Gunn for the following information and photo.

Family Ted in Egypt on his return from South Africa; he is second from the right, standing.

We sailed from Freetown on 5th August and before arriving at Capetown on 18th and we were escorted in all by eight destroyers and two frigates. We sailed from Capetown on 19th arriving at Durban on 22nd. Living conditions throughout were atrocious, fresh water was available for two half hour periods a day which, from my point of view as non tea drinker, gave rise to some dehydration especially through the tropics. In spite of poor quality food, the galley staff managed on a number of afternoons to produce some excellent corned beef bread rolls which they sold to those lucky enough to get to them before they sold out.

The cruiser Charbydis

We were accommodated in the holds of this cargo ship which had been fitted out for the refrigerated transportation of meat and those who could not find a space to sling their hammocks from the cooling pipes near the ceiling slept on the floor. We were not allowed below between meals and with around 1300 service men on board finding a space to sit on deck was a problem (there were no seats) – sitting on our lifejackets provided a little comfort. This was not a cruise that would appeal to holidaymakers.

I am grateful, again, to Ian Fordham for this information about the part the Highland Chieftan in the sinking of the battleship Graff Spee.

On 8th December, 1939, the Highland Chieftan acted as ‘bait’ to draw the Graf Spee into an attack by making an announced departure from Rio de Janeiro bound for the River Plate – but secretly shadowed by a Royal Navy force commanded by Commodore Harwood and assembled to hunt for the Graf Spee. (In fact the Graf Spee was, unknown to the RN, already bound for the River Plate looking for the sister ship of the Highland Chieftan – the Highland Princess). After the Graf Spee was sighted and attacked and damaged by Harwood’s force, it took shelter in the neutral waters of the River Plate close by the anchorage of the Highland Chieftan which had by then made port. It was being held at anchor under RN orders as it was thought the Graf Spee might sail again but was not allowed, under international law, to leave port within 24 hours of a combatant merchant ship. So, the RN was allowing one British ship a day to leave and thus blocking any departure of the warship whilst it awaited reinforcements.

Graff Spee burning – courtesy Simon Shaw

The Germans were under the impression that the RN force assembled to hunt it and standing offshore was much more powerful than it really was and sought approval from Berlin to inter the ship or to scuttle rather than to venture out to sea and engage. Berlin ordered the scuttling as it did not want to risk the boat falling under British control at some point. The Highland Chieftan took on board 60 merchant seamen prisoners released by the Graf Spee when at anchor and was still close by on the night of the 18th December when the Graf Spee was scuttled. These events are recorded in the diary of the Master, T Purcel-Buret, held at Greenwich. The British Naval Attache in Buenos Aires, Capt (later Admiral) Henry McCall sent a message to London on 21st December, that the Highland Chieftan was ready to sail to the UK with the released seamen.

HMS Exeter showing her damage after action with the Graff Spee. Photo courtesy navy photos and Ian Morte

Highland Chieftan made at least 3 more voyages from the UK to the River Plate during 1940 and was damaged by German bombs when docked in Liverpool on 11th October, 1940. It then sailed twice to South Africa during 1941 following conversion as a troopship – as part of convoys WS5A and WS8B. It was thern involved in a heavy collision with the much larger troopship, Dominion Monarch during 1941 when part of convoy WS8A and, as a result, spent several months under repair in dry dock in Durban.

I am grateful to Michael Richardson for the photo of his Father, and an extract from his diary.

Michael Richardsons Father.

Diary extract: Diary of my father’s voyage from Buenos Aires to Liverpool on Highland Chieftain. Mar-Apl 1941

Sun Feb 23rd. H. Chieftain noted in Prensa. (Latin America News Agency) During the following week he was busy with a round of social engagements and completing his work in B.A. for the Gourock Ropeworks Company. Tues 4th Mar. A day on which I felt neither here not there. Furlongs came for my things about 9 o’c. …. Roberts drove me to the boat .. many on quayside seeing off volunteers (for the British forces ) .. mothers, fathers, sisters and sweethearts, I suppose. Layout of ship very familiar. Met several acquaintances in crew. At table with two ship-wrecked ships’ officers (Captain Caird and Chief Engineer from Eurylochus). Still at quayside at 10 p.m.

Sun 30th Mar. A crisp sunny day. No service as all too busy. Some light snow showers during the day. At 12.30 when I was on watch the alarm was sounded but thank God it was a Lockheed Hudson, which flew around us all afternoon. Saw some distant ships and at night lighthouses on shore. Northern Lights on view again. Mon 31st Mar. On watch from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. The sun was red over the snow-covered hills. We came amongst the rocks and islands of the Hebrides. Saw destroyer flotilla, aircraft etc. Damn cold on watch, we had snow showers later. Siesta after lunch. Night watch postponed. Tue 1st Apl. In Irish Sea; packed in morning. Got into Mersey about 1 o’c. Played bridge till the tenders took us ashore about 5 o’c.

(He then travelled to Manchester to his in-laws house and met my mother again for the first time in eight months; they slept in the cellar that night).

Transcribed by Michael Richardson. February 2013.

Michael Richardson also sent in the drawing his dad made of his cabin with a neat description.

Drawing

That is a very bad drawing, but actually it is a very nice cabin, and of course I have lots of room in it, as it is really meant for two persons. I’ve got clothes hangers galore, and hooks on the walls besides. We ‘black out’ at 6.30 (ships time), and the sun goes down very suddenly about 7o’c. There is little twilight. The officers are now dressed in whites. I’m running round in short (sic); the Daks are very neat, but I’m not keen on the blue. A khaki drill or linen pair would have been useful.

Michael comments: I see that there continue to be a few new comments on the website, but what would be really great would be to hear from any descendants of the two shipwrecked officers that my father mentioned.

I am grateful to William McKay for the photos and information below.

Bill McKay’s dad is on the left, the other chap is called’Paddy’

y father joined the Highland Chieftain in 1939 after training at Gravesend Sea School to be a steward. At some time he left the Highland Chieftain and ended up at Portsmouth in the Lasher which supplied the troopships with goods

Bill McKay’s dad is fifth from left.

After the war he went back to his native Scotland to Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire where he did various jobs.Fish buyer,bus depot superintendent. In 1953 he went to work at Stewarts and Lloyds the steel manufacturer in Corby doing welding and oxygen pipefitting.The rest of his life was spent in Corby.

Card

Bill McKay’s Dad is 1st from left.

William has also provided this photo, which he is sure is the Captain of the Highland Chieftain with his family.

I am grateful to Brian Nash for providing the information and photo, below, of his Grandad, William (Bill) Rogan

Most people will be familiar with the poem of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in which disaster follows the death of an Albatross. This is the first time I have ever come across a modern counterpart. After a ten year absence, Bill Rogan, aged sixty one, went back to sea in 1959, in order to fulfil a promise to send money back each week, to his old shipmate ‘Spud’, who had lost a leg due to an illness. Unfortunately he chose a ship, the ‘Calpean Star’ that had a reputation as a ‘hoodoo’ ship.

This photo of Bill Rogan was taken on board the Calpean Star

The Calpean Star had arrived back in Liverpool from the Antartic with a baby albatross on board. Two days later it was dead. and that’s when the troubles started. First the ships generator broke down and had to be replaced, then there was a fight and some of the crew walked off the boat to be replaced with Norwegians. A bomb hoax and a fire alongside the ship swiftly followed, and nearly a year later, Lloyds of London reported an explosion aboard the ship, which flooded the engine room, drowning Bill Rogan. He left behind seven daughters and a son.

Clipping

One of his daughters, Mrs. Eileen Sage, said that all his friends tried to stop Bill from joining the ship, but he yearned to go back to the sea.

HMS Agamemnon was a Royal Navy third-rate ship of the line with an armament of 64 guns.She was 160 feet long,44 feet in the beam and had a crew of 490 officers and men. She was laid down at Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River in the New Forest,and was launched on 10 April 1781. She served in the Fleet until 1809, when she was lost after running aground on a shoal in the mouth of the River Plate.

Launched during the American War of Independence, she was immediately put into commission. Initially destined for the East Indies, she sighted a large Franco-Spanish fleet in the Channel and returned home to report the news to the Admiralty.

H.M.S. Agamemnon

In December 1781, she was part of a squadron of 12 of the line under Rear-Admiral Kempenfelt that was sent out to intercept a French fleet and convoy expected to sail from Brest for the West Indies. Early in 1782 she was sent out to join the British fleet in the Leeward Islands, arriving in time to take part in the Battle of the Saintes. After the end of the American War, she was laid up in ordinary (at Chatham?) until the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793.

32 pounder.

In 1793, Agamemnon was recommissioned under Captain Horatio Nelson and sent out to join the Mediterranean Fleet under Lord Hood. It was during this command that Nelson lost the sight of his right eye at the siege of Calvi, Corsica, in 1794, and started on his road to glory.By 1796 she was worn out and returned home in the summer.

The crest on the top is still quite clear.

On 22 July 1805 Vice-Admiral Robert Calder was cruising off Cape Finisterre with a fleet of 15 of the line including Agamemnon, when the combined Franco-Spanish fleet from the West Indies was sighted to windward. The British ships formed into line with Agamemnon fifth in line and engaged the enemy in a thick fog. During the action Agamemnon, which had three wounded, and Windsor Castle lost a mast. By nightfall, with his fleet scattered across the ocean, Sir Robert made the signal to break off the action.

On 21 October 1805 Agamemnon, by then under the command of Sir Edward Berry, took part in the Battle of Trafalgar. In 1806 she took part in the Battle of San Domingo, and on 20 June 1809, while putting into the River Plate in a storm, she grounded on an unmarked reef and was lost, though without loss of life.

In 1993 the wreck was located north of Gorriti Island in Maldonado Bay. Expeditions led by Mensun Bound have documented the remains and recovered a number of artifacts of which this cannon is one.