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My recollection is that the original damage that caused the Graf Spree to go into Montevideo ws caused by a shell from a destroyer that happened to take out the ship's electrical system. The delay in restoring power permitted some destroyers to get inside the minimum depression angle of their big guns. At that point Captain Langsdorff decided to enter the neutral port.

This power failure led the U.S. Navy to analyze the power distribution systems on our own ships. This task was assigned to Hymen Rickover and the A-B-C power distribution system was adopted as the U.S. Standard. This is one of the significant Rickover achievements that led to his being assigned the task of developing our first nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilis.

Another reason for Rickover's assignment to the Nautilis was the Navy high command recognized that all nuclear development was under the authority of the Atomic Energy Commission ("AEC"). As such many in the Navy command believed that Rickover would be stymied by the civilians on the AEC. He overcame this obstacle by making the point that there was no Navy liason in the AEC.

He got that position created and applied for the job. He wrote the requisitions for materials for the Nautilis with his Navy hat and approved them with his civilian hat. By the time the Navy realized what happened, the Nautilis was almost ready for sea trials.

Then Rickover was passed over for promotion and told that he had to leave. He persuaded several members of Congress that he had the world's first nuclear submarine ready for sea trials and that the Navy wanted him out. The Congress backed him and made it clear to the Navy that their budget would have a tough time, if Rickover wasn't promoted. We all know many of the milestones of the Nautilis and the birth of the submarine fleet as a dominant part of our strategic defense.

The cruisers did not have destroyer escorts. I have seen this battle plotted several times and there was only the three cruisers and the Graf Spee.

The following from: http://www.ocean98.org/spee.htm

"In the heavy engagement with the 3 allied cruisers, the Graf Spee received 20 hits, and 36 crew members were killed, 60 wounded. Langsdorff decided to disengage from the battle and head to the neutral port of Montevideo in Uruguay, to seek shelter and to repair some of the serious battle damage inflicted.

"The sailors of the merchant vessels, who were taken aboard before their ships were sunk, were set free. Although the ship was still able to fight, the holes caused by the hits would make it questionable how the ship would encounter heavy weather at sea. An additional problem was that one of the hits had destroyed the kitchen and bakery of the ship which made it almost impossible to feed its crew. These damages could not repaired by the crew while at sea."