Harwood closes Graf Spee's escape routes

Pro-British observers, the naval attaché, and intelligence personnel watched Graf Spee's preparations in Montevideo while Henry Harwood positioned Achilles, Ajax, and Cumberland outside. The German ship's radar created a real chance that she might slip through the screen at night because the British cruisers lacked an equivalent set. Harwood's ships therefore planned to move inward if Graf Spee sailed, narrowing her choices even if that meant entering Uruguayan territorial waters. When Graf Spee came out to be scuttled, the British cruisers moved inward, confirming that this was an operational plan. Britain was prepared to prevent either an escape to sea or a dash toward Argentina before worrying about the neutrality dispute that would follow.