Cumberland joined the British force at 2200 after her passage from the Falklands. The cruisers received separate patrol positions and orders to shadow Graf Spee if she emerged, then concentrate far enough out to sea for a coordinated attack. Achilles approached close enough at night to see movement in the entrance channel silhouetted against the town's lights. Harwood nevertheless warned against committing a warlike act so close to shore. Britain recognized a three-mile territorial limit, while Argentina and Uruguay claimed the whole River Plate estuary.
Notable Point · 1:05:44-1:06:38
Patrolling the River Plate without violating neutral waters
Cruiser patrol positions and night observation had to account for conflicting British, Argentine and Uruguayan views of territorial waters.