Maps and accounts disagree about Graf Spee's precise position south of Madagascar. British commanders also lacked a reliable location because the raider had avoided sightings. HMS Dorsetshire was already crossing the Indian Ocean, while other cruisers and Tribal-class destroyers moved toward routes Langsdorff might use. Harwood kept his own force nearer South America instead of joining that movement. Graf Spee would reach Africa Shell on 15 November, but the Tribal destroyers never made contact with the raider. A vast search area and incomplete location reports left the British with several possible routes to cover.
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British forces chase Graf Spee through the Indian Ocean
Cruisers and Tribal-class destroyers moved toward likely Indian Ocean routes while Harwood kept his force nearer South America.