Under
Article 17 the of the Hague Convention, neutrality restrictions limited
Admiral Graf Spee to a period of 72 hours for repairs in Montevideo, before she would be interned for the duration of the war.[SUP]
[32][/SUP][SUP]
[33][/SUP] On 17 December 1939, Langsdorff ordered the destruction of all important equipment aboard the ship. The ship's remaining ammunition supply was dispersed throughout the ship, in preparation for scuttling. On 18 December, the ship, with only Langsdorff and 40 other men aboard, moved into the outer
roadstead to be scuttled.
Applying the Hague Convention, all RSAF personnel of fighter jets stationed on foreign soil would also be interned and those expensive F15 fighter aircraft grounded (INTERNED); basically useless for military offense purposes.