A long forgotten Nazi War Trophy is now causing an international kerfuffle. You may remember the story of the Battle of La Plate River. Where the British Navy finally cornered the German heavy cruiser ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE into a tight box.
Well, according to El Capitán over at Donde El Viento Nos LLeve, on Feb 10th 2006, an enterprising Uruguayan salvaged its bronze Nazi Eagle Stern Scutcheon (the only known surviving piece of its kind). Period pictures of the said Eagle are HERE and HERE.
Eagle as salvaged
Eagle restored and on display
It seems that this bronze relic has caught the eye of the German Government. In an official diplomatic Démarche, the German Ambassador to Uruguay, lodged a protest to the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry. In it, the German Government claims its ownership and demands that it may not be sold. Furthermore, it holds The Uruguayan Government as its fiduciary repository until physical transfer to Germany is effected.
In response to this démarche, The Uruguayans seized the eagle and promptly transfered it to the Uruguayan Marine Corps Museum in Montevideo for temporary guardianship and display.
...Which prompted the salvager to lodge a suit alleging that:
(A) The German Government back in 1940 sold the rights to salvage the Graf Spee to an Uruguayan citizen,
(B) That subsequently the ship was considered abandoned, and
(C) That by virtue of lying within Uruguayan waters it is open for salvage by any Uruguayan citizen.
The suit also contents that the salvager has incurred millions of dollars in the enterprise and thus is entitled to any future proceeds.
Details of the Kefuffle are published in the Montevideo Daily El País. (My apologies to the liguistically challenged).
Well, according to El Capitán over at Donde El Viento Nos LLeve, on Feb 10th 2006, an enterprising Uruguayan salvaged its bronze Nazi Eagle Stern Scutcheon (the only known surviving piece of its kind). Period pictures of the said Eagle are HERE and HERE.
Eagle as salvaged
Eagle restored and on display
Image Source of the above two pictures are courtesy of El Capitán
It seems that this bronze relic has caught the eye of the German Government. In an official diplomatic Démarche, the German Ambassador to Uruguay, lodged a protest to the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry. In it, the German Government claims its ownership and demands that it may not be sold. Furthermore, it holds The Uruguayan Government as its fiduciary repository until physical transfer to Germany is effected.
In response to this démarche, The Uruguayans seized the eagle and promptly transfered it to the Uruguayan Marine Corps Museum in Montevideo for temporary guardianship and display.
...Which prompted the salvager to lodge a suit alleging that:
(A) The German Government back in 1940 sold the rights to salvage the Graf Spee to an Uruguayan citizen,
(B) That subsequently the ship was considered abandoned, and
(C) That by virtue of lying within Uruguayan waters it is open for salvage by any Uruguayan citizen.
The suit also contents that the salvager has incurred millions of dollars in the enterprise and thus is entitled to any future proceeds.
Details of the Kefuffle are published in the Montevideo Daily El País. (My apologies to the liguistically challenged).
No Hakenkreuz allowed. Display on German soil is Verboten -- I know an aircraft modeller who was specifically told that, if he completed his scratch-built, historically-accurate model of Hans Rudel's Ju-87G, it would be confiscated and destroyed, because of the swastika on the tail.
That being said, there seems to be an exeption on the importation and public display of the hakencreuz in Germany. So as long as there is a historical period item (not modern recreation), and is to be used for the purpose of education (as in teaching today's kids how EVIEEEL were the Nazies), it is O.K. to import the sign (under official import license of course).
But you could find plenty of period stuff, mit hakenkreuz, in the flea markets and antique shops.
There are the sunken Spanish treasure ships, too. The current Spanish .gov is claiming ownership of the wrecks. That is just silly, as those ships and their cargo are and have always been the lawful property of any English (or American, by inheritance) sailors who could take them.
What they can't do is call it a P-51!! Boeing, the owner of the North American brand, isn't happy. So it's called "World War II Fighter Plane". The Soft Commissar's at work even with models.
I seem to recall from, what I read there, that the Graf Spee was scuttled (abandoned?) w/o loss of life, so it's not like the argument in some other cases where salvaging the vessel would, in my opinion, be the same as desecrating a military graveyard.
Errrmmmmm, ain't the stern the backside? Those pics look to me to be the front-end, and Germany would not, I think, have had the Adler watching where she had been, but where she was going.
And if memory serves, the Captain went down with his ship, also selected unmarried crew.
Nup -- two main *turrets*, each with three main *guns*.
Add: "fail component nomenclature"...
Oooo and don't forget to click on HERE, Nice Birdie pictures!
Fair enough, I yell at enough people per week for magazine/clip infractions.