Rivals to remember (II): Coming from the sea

In the early 20th century it was common for Athletic to face teams of English or Scottish sailors whose ships anchored in Bilbao for work activities. Three of our rivals coming from the sea are the protagonists of our today’s article about the teams with a mysterious and interesting past:

Battleship Deutschland (Lamiako, 1909)
Although it might seem the metaphorical name of a German club, the Battleship SMS Deutschland was the team formed by a selection of the 200 sailors on this ship that, together with the SMS Pommern, anchored in Portugalete in July 1909, under the command of Prince Henry of Prussia. Athletic won 6-3 in the friendly match played in the fields of Lamiako. Both battleships belonged to the Imperial Navy and the Deutschland was the flagship of the high seas fleet..

Picture of the Battleship Deutschland

Admiral Graf Speer (San Mamés, 1938)
During the Civil War, the visit to Bilbao of the Nazi armoured cruiser Admiral Graf Speer, under the command of officer Hans Langsdorff, led to Athletic facing a team made up of soldiers from this ship. The Admiral Graf Spee had been part of the aid that Hitler gave to Franco at the beginning of the war to watch over the coasts controlled by the Republican side. In the rain, the red-and-white players defeated the Nazis 9-3.

Chronicle of the Athletic – Admiral Graf Speer match in the Gaceta del Norte newspaper (1938)

Aircraft carrier HMS Ocean (San Mamés, 1957)
This aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy tied up in Bilbao the first five days of November 1957. With a length of 190 metres and a beam of 24, the crew of 1,300 men under the command of Vice-Admiral Guy Bourchier Sayer, produced a team that faced Athletic and was defeated 6-0, set and match for the red-and-white players. The English took advantage of their stay in Bilbao to witness a boxing evening at Deportivo and a game of Basque pelota in Santurtzi.

Athletic (Merodio) and HMS Ocean captains before the match against Ocean in 1957 (AC Museoa)