It didn't go well at first with the Exeter being targeted and crippled fairly early in the engagement by very accurate gunnery from the German sailors.
But the concentration of fire upon their sister ship allowed the Achilles and Ajax to close within range of their smaller guns.
Then they too started to receive damage from the Graf Spee's fire.
Despite only having one gun turret in working condition the Exeter returned to the fight and one of its shells found a weak point and badly damaged the German warship. The Graf Spee then tried to steam away but was hounded into a neutral port at Montevideo in Uruguay where it tried to make repairs while the Allied ships prowled nearby.
Eventually, the Graf Spee was scuttled delivering a major naval victory to Britain during the dark, early days of the war.
Two New Zealanders died on the Achilles during the famous action.
In 1973 two New Zealand warships - HMNZS Canterbury and HMNZS Otago - sailed to Mururoa Atoll in a protest against continued French nuclear testing there. France's Government had been ignoring a ban placed on the tests by the International Court of Justice and Wellington acted by sending the vessels.
Fast forward 42 years and the Royal New Zealand Navy is in action again - or is it?
HMNZS Wellington has been in the Southern Ocean trying to deal with three rogue fishing vessels that are illegally stealing extremely valuable toothfish.
The ships are the Kunkun, the Songhua and the Yongding. They are flying the Equatorial Guinea flag but, according to Foreign Minister Murray McCully are "well known, repeat offenders" owned by Spanish interests.
McCully had said he wanted to "throw the book at" the fishing vessels and they were "making a mockery"of the tightly regulated and quota-managed fishery in the icy waters around Antarctica.
"I've told the ministry I want to throw the book at them," he said. "I've signalled to the New Zealand agencies involved that ... we want to put these guys completely out of business and take whatever steps we have to achieve that."
Now talking tough is all very well and good, but you need to back it up. In my book you never threaten stuff unless you are prepared to either act on it, or eat humble pie.
Well, it seems that pie is on the menu for the Government as the fishing vessels have refused to allow New Zealand boarding crews on.
So here we have these fishermen thumbing their noses at international rules and New Zealand's armed forces and John Key's mob are letting them get away with it.
Oh there is plenty of talk about toughness and hard lines, but no meaningful action at all.
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee will be having the armed forces cringing when he vents against critics who have called the New Zealand action toothless.
Brownlee has branded such critics "ill-informed" and says they have ignored the success of the operation.
That is finding the vessels, tracking them and gaining evidence against them to be taken to the appropriate authorities.
Oh the weasel words!
It is an utter embarrassment to the NZ Navy and to this country's military traditions.
NZ First's Ron Mark got it right when he said warning shots should be put across the fishing vessels' bows.
Absolutely spot on, he must have heard my comments while watching the news the previous night.
Shoot over the buggers. And if they don't stop, put a few shells through their ships.
Then send in large boarding parties - fully armed - and arrest the crews, using force if necessary.
I'm sure the men of the Achilles - and the Canterbury and Otago - would agree.
Richard@richardmoore.com
-Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer.
