Africa Shell looked tiny beside Graf Spee, even in comparison with one of the raider's launches. A Deutschland-class Panzerschiff sinking such a small vessel seemed to gain little for the effort of a distant cruise. The attack's value lay partly in its psychological effect: the raider had reached into the ocean and shown that merchant traffic there was vulnerable. The psychological gain still left room to question the excursion's return, especially since Africa Shell was Graf Spee's last victim off Africa before the raider doubled back.
Notable Point · 4:48-6:07
A small prize with a large psychological effect
Africa Shell's loss demonstrated Graf Spee's reach, but the small prize and the lack of further sinkings off Africa raise doubts about the excursion's return.