Shivers went down the spine of Mensun Bound as he saw the eagle from the stern of the infamous pocket battleship the Admiral Graf Spee.

The 54-year-old Triton fellow in maritime archaeology at St Peter's College, Oxford, was part of a four-man team which recovered a 2m high bronze eagle and swastika.

The ship, which was scuttled in 1939 following the Battle of River Plate off Uruguay, was believed to have lost its terrifying emblem decades ago. But it was discovered at Christmas 2005, during a routine dive by other archaeologists.

"As soon as I got their email, I dropped everything and went out there," said Mr Bound.

And after weeks of excavations, in pitch black water, amidst swirling currents and a shroud of secrecy, he saw it finally lifted from the depths of the River Plate.

"It was amazing to see it being finally lifted out of the water," said the father of three, from Horspath.

"But as it did, I felt Hitler's breath on the back of my neck -- it sent shivers down my spine." The one-time flagship of the German fleet, the Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled on December 17, 1939, following a battle four days previously with the British and New Zealand cruisers Exeter, Ajax and Achilles. Before the battle, the Graf Spee had sunk nine British merchant ships.

"The spread wing eagle, which is over two metres high, curved around the vessel's stern," said Mr Bound.

"It had always been thought the eagle had been taken shortly after the vessel's spectacular self- destruction.

"The recovery was also extremely difficult. We were literally digging it out of the mud in the dark."

It wasn't Mr Bound's first visit to the infamous vessel. In 1997, he uncovered a gun from the wreck, which is now on display outside the maritime museum in Montevideo.

In 2002, he and his team hit the headlines again when they recovered the rangefinder, which provided a target for artillery gunners. "In terms of archaeology, this wasn't my most important find but it was definitely the most sensational in terms of what it represents," he said.

Despite trying to keep their find under wraps for as long as possible, Mr Bound and his fellow crew members were met back at Port in Montevideo, by a pack of international journalists.

"We covered the swastika up when we came into harbour, because we were scared to be thought of as glorifying war. But after two days we were contacted by the local Jewish community asking us to uncover it -- they said it was an important issue that should be addressed."

Mr Bound is due to return to Oxford later this month, but said "another exciting discovery" may postpone his return.

"I can't say what is is yet though, of course," he said.