HMS Ajax (22)
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HMS Ajax was a Leander-class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy during World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, the Battle of Crete, the Battle of Mal
HMS Achilles seen from Ajax during the Battle of the River Plate
Ajax bombards Bardia in Libya in December 1941
Winston Churchill leaves Ajax to attend a conference in Athens, 28 December 1944. Captain Cuthbert: "I hope, Sir, that while you are with us we shan't have to open fire...if we are asked to give supporting fire I must do so." Winston Churchill: "Pray remember, Captain, that I came here as a cooing dove of peace, bearing a sprig of mistletoe in my beak but far be it from me to stand in the way of military necessity."
Battle of the River Plate
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The Battle of the River Plate was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939 as the first British naval battle of the Second World War.
Admiral Graf Spee
The route of Admiral Graf Spee's cruise, from the British HMSO report.
HMS Achilles