Patrick Dove

Patrick G. G. (Paddy) Dove (1896–1957) was a British merchant navy officer who served as Master of the when she was intercepted and sunk by the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Mozambique Channel, off the coast of Portuguese East Africa, becoming the sixth victim of Graf Spee's commerce raiding sortie.

Following the seizure and sinking of his ship, Captain Dove became friendly with Kapitän zur See (KzS) Hans Langsdorff during his period of imprisonment aboard the Graf Spee, and would later recall this in his book: I Was Graf Spee's Prisoner.

Biography Patrick Dove was born in London in 1896. He became a ship's officer and worked for the Shell Company of East Africa Ltd, gaining command of their new coastal tanker the MV Africa Shell following her entry into service in 1939.

By November 1939 Africa Shell was employed in the coastal waters around southeastern Africa, under the command of Captain Dove and with a crew complement of 28.

Interception by Graf Spee On 15 November Africa Shell was plying through the Mozambique Channel en-passage from Quelimane to Lourenco Marques sailing in ballast. During the course of the morning, at a point south-southwest from the lighthouse at Cape Zavora, she was spotted by the Graf Spee who ordered her to stop by the firing of a shot across her bow.

Aftermath The crew of the Africa Shell arrived safely later that day at Lourenco Marques. They reported the seizure of their ship immediately to local authorities, however their report mistakenly stated that they had been intercepted by the Panzerschiff Admiral Scheer, as opposed to the Graf Spee, something which only aided the confusion which the commerce raider's sortie had intended to sow.

The book formed part of the compilation for the 1940 film For Freedom in which Capt. Dove makes an appearance. Dove's book also provided the basis for the Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger 1956 British war film The Battle of the River Plate, (released in the United States under the title Pursuit of the Graf Spee), in which Capt. Dove is credited as a technical adviser. In the film, Dove was played by Bernard Lee; Dove himself makes a cameo appearance as one of the other officers held onboard Graf Spee.

Death Captain Patrick Dove died on 25 May 1957 aboard his ship, the tanker Alva Cape which was in Indonesian waters.