In December, the New Zealand light cruiser HMS Achilles, took part in one of the most famous battles of World War II.
The Achilles was part of a cruiser squadron searching for the German pocket battleship Graf Spee which had been disrupting Allied shipping in the south Atlantic.
They sighted their quarry lurking near the busy shipping lane off Uruguay at 5.20am on December 13 and within an hour were engaged in the battle of their lives.
The outgunned British squadron managed to cripple the Graf Spee which was forced into Montevideo for repairs.
After four days it was scuttled by its captain who was deceived into thinking a powerful British fleet had assembled to finish it off when it put back to sea.