HMS Exeter

From Wikipedia

On April 6th of this month, I wrote about World War II submariner Ernie Platz who was on the USS Perch sunk in March 1942 and spent the rest of the war as a Japanese prisoner.  He is still living.

The Perch was found on November 23, 2006, by an expedition looking for the wreck of the HMS Exeter, which is why I am doing this entry.

The cruiser Exeter was commissioned in 1931 and fought the German pocket battleship Graf Spee at the December 13, 1939, Battle of the River Platte where it was hit by seven 11-inch shells and had all three of its 8-inch gun turrets put out of action.  Casualties at the battle were 61 killed and 23 wounded.

After repairs, the Exeter did Atlantic convoy duty.

On February 27, 1942, it was severely damaged at the Battle of Java Sea.  While withdrawing from it, the Exeter was attacked by four Japanese heavy cruisers and three destroyers.  The ship was scuttled and its two escorting destroyers, the HMS Encounter and USS Pope were also sunk.

Its wreck was located in February 2007 at 200 feet deep.

So, They Found It.  --GreGen