German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran (HSK-8, Schiff 41, Raider G) was a warship used in World War II. It was built by Germaniawerft of Kiel and originally launched on September 15, 1938 as the merchant ship Steiermark of the Hamburg-America Line. Renamed Komoran (meaning cormorant), it entered service as a Kriegsmarine auxiliary cruiser on October 9 1940, commanded by Fregattenkapitän (Commander) Theodor Detmers.When in service, Kormoran weighed 8,736 tons and had a top speed of 18-19 knots. The ship was a prime example of the relatively successful "disguised freighter" technique used in commerce raiding by the Kriegsmarine in World War Two. The largest of the German raiders, Kormoran operated in the South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific. In common with other auxiliary cruisers, it had substantial (hidden) armament: six 150mm (5.9 in) guns, torpedoes and seaplanes, but lacked the armour protection and speed of a proper warship. Successful raiding depended on surprise and disguise. For 352 days, from December 3, 1940, Kormoran sank ten merchant ships, comprising a total of 56,965 tons.
On November 19, 1941, the Kormoran encountered the 9,000 ton Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney off Western Australia. The German vessel was posing as a known Dutch freighter. According to accounts by crew members of the Kormoran, Sydney chased and overhauled the raider, while exchanging signals and attempting to verify her identity. Kormoran maintained the charade as long as possible, but when a password was demanded, it quickly went into action. According to the witnesses, Sydney had approached to close range, but was not fully prepared for battle, as its guns not were not trained on Kormoran. Sydney was immediately hit hard and partly disabled by gunfire and at least one torpedo. The two ships drifted apart and Sydney was last seen in flames on the horizon. It disappeared with the loss of all hands.
However, Sydney did enough damage to ensure that Kormoran was scuttled. Detmers and about 320 of his crew were rescued and spent the remainder of the war in an Australian prisoner of war camp.