River Plate warfare before Graf Spee

Were naval battles fought on the River Plate during the nineteenth century?

The panel recalls skirmishes and tentatively identifies major river actions during the War of the Triple Alliance, although no particular battle is named.

The answer recalls nineteenth-century skirmishes but does not name particular battles. A second contributor tentatively identifies two major river actions during the War of the Triple Alliance. River monitors fought with gunfire and ramming, while moving sandbanks and uncertain navigation could leave vessels grounded or approaching the wrong port. The discussion then turns to the later German cruiser lost at the River Plate and rejects 'pocket battleship' as a newspaper label for the Deutschland class.