Exeter absorbs Graf Spee's opening attack

HMS Exeter enters the action as Harwood's six-gun heavy cruiser and the most obvious threat to Graf Spee. The ship was designed for distant-station and trade-protection work, making this exactly the kind of raider interception her designers had anticipated. Early hits kill the starboard torpedo crew, devastate the forward area, and knock out B turret, forcing Captain Frederick Bell to shift control aft. Post-battle photographs show a roughly seven-degree list and severe damage concentrated forward, which leaves the machinery and after turret able to continue for much of the action. By the end of this phase Exeter has lost most of her forward combat power, and the final turret later loses pressure. Her continued movement and after-gun fire still mean Graf Spee cannot dismiss her.