The German battleship Graf Spee was a pocket battleship of the German Navy during World War II. It was named after Admiral Maximilian von Spee, commander of the East Asia Squadron that fought in the Battle of the Falkland Islands. The ship was laid down in 1932 and launched in 1934. It was armed with six 28 cm guns and had a top speed of 28 knots. During the war, it saw action in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, sinking nine merchant ships before being scuttled off the coast of Uruguay in December 1939.