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Encyclopedia > Armed merchantmen

Armed Merchantmen were merchant ships taken over by their nation's navies, equipped with guns, and then used for military purposes.


These were used in both World Wars by Germany and the British. Whilst the British used armed passenger liners for protecting their shipping, the German approach was to use them to attack enemy shipping.

Contents


Armed merchant cruisers

The Armed Merchant Cruisers (AMC) of the British were employed for convoy protection against enemy warships. They were found to be limited in usefulness since they lacked the armour and ranging systems of a warship and many were converted into troopships. A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support. ...


One famous AMC of World War I was the British RMS Carmania, which after a heated battle which caused heavy damage on both sides, succeeding in sinking the German auxiliary cruiser Cap Trafalgar near Trinidad in 1914.[1] The RMS Carmania (I) was a British passenger liner of the Cunard Line, which in World War I was converted to an armed merchant cruiser. ... This article is about the World War I cruiser. ... Trinidad (Spanish, Trinity) is the largest and most populous of the 23 islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago. ...


Auxiliary cruiser

The German practice was to arm merchantmen with hidden weapons and use them as commerce raiders. An auxiliary cruiser - Hilfskreuzer or Handels-Stör-Kreuzer (HSK) - usually approached her target under a false flag with guns concealed, and sometimes her appearance altered with fake funnels and masts. The victim was thus engaged at point-blank range and had no chance to evade. In the First World War, the Imperial German Navy initially took to using fast passenger ships (such as winners of the Blue Riband for fastest Atlantic crossings), but some of them, although fast, made obvious and easy targets because of their lack of armor. The Germans moved on to using captured refitted Allied vessels, but principally only modified transport ships. These were slower but less recognizable. In both world wars, these ships were found to be vulnerable to attack, and were withdrawn before the war ended. Many were sunk after being caught by regular warships - an unfair battle since auxiliary cruisers had poor fire control and no armor. There were, however, a few success stories. The Kaiser Wilhelm der Große was a former passenger liner that sank two freighters in 1914 before being caught by HMS Highflyer. And her sister ship the passenger liner Kronprinz Wilhelm had a legendary journey, sinking or capturing a total of 15 ships from 1914-1915, before finally running out of supplies and having to put into port in Virginia, where she was interned by the Americans and eventually converted into a US Navy troop transport (as the renamed USS Von Steuben). Commerce raiding or guerre de course is a naval strategy of attacking an opponents commercial shipping rather than contending for control of the seas with its naval forces. ... The Kaiserliche Marine or Imperial Navy was the German Navy created by Kaiser Wilhelm II between 1871 and 1919; it grew out of the Prussian Navy. ... The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. ... European military alliances in 1915. ... Kaiser Wilhelm der Große, (Kaiser William the Great), named after the then Kaisers grandfather, Kaiser Wilhelm I, was a German ocean liner of the Norddeutscher Lloyd shipping line. ... Four vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Highflyer. ... This page is about the passenger liner Kronprinz Wilhelm, built in 1901, temporarily converted to a WWI warship in 1914, and broken up in 1923. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...


The idea was returned to in the Second World War. In one incident in the German Kormoran (ex-merchantman Steiermark) managed to surprise and sink the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney, which approached too close, though she herself was also sunk in the engagement. In most cases auxiliary cruiser raiders tried to avoid detection. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 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. ... The second HMAS Sydney was a modified Leander-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy. ...


In World War II, the German Navy operated ten very successful auxiliary cruisers which ranged in tonnage from 3,860 - 9,400; typically these vessels were equipped with:

  • Floatplanes
  • 15 cm guns
  • Smaller armaments (typically hidden away behind especially designed and hinged bulwarks, or beneath fake deckhouses and/or skylights)
  • Torpedoes
  • Mines

To preserve their cover, these ships flew the flags of neutral nations or occasionally Allied nations' flags. They were re-fuelled and provisioned by special supply ships and from Japanese island bases. The group of countries known as the Allies of World War II consisted of those nations opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ...


To counter the effectiveness of these disguises the Allies had to introduce the check-mate system in 1942 to uniquely identify individual ships on a one-by-one basis with the Admiralty in London. The check-mate system was a system of ship identification used by the Royal Navy during World War II. It was used by the Navy when on patrol looking for German Auxiliary cruiser and others ships that had been disguised by Axis forces. ... Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...


During World War II German auxiliary cruisers are believed to have either sunk or captured some 800,000 tons of Allied shipping.


Compare to the Q-ship, which was a disguised merchantman for anti-submarine operations. A hidden gun on a Q-ship in World War I. The Q-ship or Q-boat was a weapon used against German U-boats during World War I primarily by Britain and during World War II primarily by the United States. ...


Others

The CAM Ship (from catapult armed merchantman) was a British merchantman fitted with a catapult that could launch, but not recover, a single fighter aircraft. A CAM ship was a World War II-era British merchant ship used in convoys as a cheap emergency solution to the shortage of escort carriers. ...


The Merchant aircraft carrier or MAC was a British or Dutch cargo ship with a flight deck that could carry a small number of aircraft. Merchant aircraft carriers (MAC) were minimal aircraft carriers used during World War II by Great Britain and Holland as an emergency measure until the United States-built escort carriers became available. ...


CAM and MAC ships remained as civilian ships operated by civilian crews, with Fleet Air Arm or Royal Netherlands Navy "air parties". The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... Dutch Naval Aviation (MLD) started in 1914, but developed slowly in the inter-war years. ...


Ship lists

American auxiliary cruisers of the Spanish-American War

The first USS Badger was an auxiliary cruiser of the United States Navy, named after the burrowing mammal. ... The second USS Buffalo (later AD-8) was an auxiliary cruiser of the United States Navy, and later a destroyer tender. ... The first USS Dixie (later AD-1) was a United States Navy auxiliary cruiser and later a destroyer tender. ... The first USS Harvard of the United States Navy was an auxiliary cruiser in the Spanish-American War. ... SS City of New York, also known as SS New York, was an ocean liner originally operated by Inman Line and later operated by American Line (as SS New York) and US Navy (as USS Harvard and USS Plattsburg). ... The first USS Panther, the former Austin, an auxiliary cruiser built by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pa. ... Prairie, formerly Morgan Liner S.S. El Sol, was built in 1890 by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pa. ... St. ... The capital of Minnesota. ... SS Paris—a steamship built in 1888 and 1889 by J. & G. Thompson at Glasgow, Scotland—was acquired by the U. S. Navy on 27 April 1898 under charter from the International Navigation Co. ... El Norte—a steamer built in 1892 at Newport News, Va. ... At the begining of the Spanish-American War, El Sud—a merchant steamer built in 1892 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. ...

Japanese merchant cruisers of the Russo-Japanese War

  • America Maru
  • Bingo Maru
  • Hong Kong Maru
  • Kasuga Maru
  • Kumano Maru
  • Nikko Maru
  • Nippon Maru
  • Saikyo Maru
  • Shinano Maru
  • Taichu Maru
  • Tainan Maru
  • Yobo (ex-Yobo Maru)

Russian merchant cruisers of the Russo-Japanese War (incomplete)

  • Zabiaka
  • Lena
  • Ural

Allied merchant cruisers of World War I (incomplete)

Royal Navy The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...

French Navy SS Alcantara was an ocean liner that went into service just weeks before the start of World War I, was converted to an armed merchant cruiser in 1915, and was sunk by the German cruiser Greif on 29 February 1916. ... February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... The RMS Carmania (I) was a British passenger liner of the Cunard Line, which in World War I was converted to an armed merchant cruiser. ... RMS Cedric was an ocean liner belonging to the White Star Line. ... RMS Celtic was an ocean liner belonging to the White Star Line. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The RMS Oceanic was a luxury ocean liner similar to the Aquitania, the Lusitania, the Britannic, the Mauritania, and the Titanic, but was considered to be in a class of its own. ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... HMS Otranto was a First World War Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser. ... German squadron leaving Valparaiso 3 Nov. ... Islay shown within Argyll. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ...

  • Artois (ex-Royal Navy Digby)
  • Champagne (ex-Royal Navy Oropesa, lost on 9 October 1917)

October 9 is the 282nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (283rd in leap years). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

German auxiliary cruisers of World War I

The SMS Cap Trafalgar holds the dubious distinction of being the only armed merchant cruiser to ever have been sunk in warfare by a ship of the same class, having been destroyed in a furious action off the Brazilian coast during September 1914 at the start of the First World... Kaiser Wilhelm der Große, (Kaiser William the Great), named after the then Kaisers grandfather, Kaiser Wilhelm I, was a German ocean liner of the Norddeutscher Lloyd shipping line. ... This page is about the passenger liner Kronprinz Wilhelm, built in 1901, temporarily converted to a WWI warship in 1914, and broken up in 1923. ... SMS Seeadler was a three-master windjammer (1916 to 1917). ... S.M.S. Wolf was an armed merchant raider (former Wachtfels). ...

Allied merchant cruisers of World War II

The Armed merchant cruisers were made by requisitioning whatever ships seemed useful and then providing them with guns and other equipment. They ranged from 6,000 tons to 22,000 tons. The armament varied but six 6-inch guns with 3-inch guns as secondary was usual. From 1941 many served as troopships.


Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. ...

  • Manoora
  • Westralia

Royal New Zealand Navy HMNZS Te Mana The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) is the navy of New Zealand. ...

  • Monowai

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

Royal Navy The HMCS Prince David (F89) was one of three Canadian National Railway passenger liners that were converted to Armed Merchant Cruisers for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) at the beginning of World War II, and for three years were the largest ships in the RCN. // Pre War, 1930 - 1939 Three... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...

June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (168th in leap years), with 198 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March to 10 April 1942 against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. ... HMS Jervis Bay was a British Armed Merchant Cruiser, pennant F40, sunk on 5 November 1940 by the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Admiral Scheer was a Deutschland class heavy cruiser (often termed a pocket battleship) which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. The vessel was named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... The SS Rajputana was a British passenger and cargo carring ocean liner. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... HMS Rawalpindi was a ship that was sunk during the Second World War. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ...

German auxiliary cruiser raiders of World War II

At the outbreak of war, the German Admiralty requisitioned a number of fast merchantmen and immediately sent them into naval shipyards. These ships had been built with extra strong decks to facilitate the installation of military equipment, but this was the only difference between them and other merchantmen of the period. Indeed, no precise plans had been drawn up for the conversion of these ships into warships, and consequently the conversion process was painfully long. Compared to the diversity of British auxiliary cruisers, the Hilfskreuzer were standardized in so far as possible. The ships themselves averaged approximately 7,000 tons. Armament usually consisted of six 5.9 inch guns, between two and six torpedo tubes, and an assortment of 40 mm, 37 mm, and 20 mm automatic weapons. Most raiders carried an Arado 196 seaplane for reconnaissance. Kormoran, Komet, and Michel were also equipped with small motor torpedo boats. In addition to armament, increased fuel, water, and coal storage had to be provided for as well. Furthermore, the raiders could not abandon the crews of their captures, so space had to be provided for prisoners. The first Hilfskreuzer got under way in March 1940, shortly before the Norwegian campaign. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... The Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance aircraft built by Arado starting in 1936. ... 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. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

The Nazi German auxiliary cruiser Orion was a merchant raider of the Second World War. ... Atlantis, known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 16 and to the Royal Navy as Raider-C, was a converted German Hilfskreuzer (auxiliary cruiser, or merchant or commerce raider) of the Kriegsmarine, which, during World War II, travelled more than 161,000 km in 602 days, and sank 22 ships totaling... The Nazi German auxiliary cruiser Widder (Ram (male sheep)) was a 7,800 ton merchant raider of the Second World War. ... Thor was a German auxiliary cruiser during World War II. External links Hilfskreuzer Thor Categories: | ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The Nazi German Kriegsmarine auxiliary cruiser Komet (HSK7) was a commerce raider of the Second World War. ... The Kormoran taking on stores from a supply boat at Kiel, Germany, in late 1940, prior to commencing operations against Allied shipping. ...

Japanese armed merchant cruisers of World War II

  • Aikoku Maru
  • Akagi Maru
  • Asaka Maru
  • Awata Maru
  • Bangkok Maru
  • Gokoku Maru
  • Hokoku Maru
  • Kinryu Maru
  • Kiyozumi Maru
  • Kongo Maru
  • Noshiro Maru
  • Saigon Maru
  • Ukishima Maru

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ...

See also

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A hidden gun on a Q-ship in World War I. The Q-ship or Q-boat was a weapon used against German U-boats during World War I primarily by Britain and during World War II primarily by the United States. ...

References

  • The Oxford Companion to World War II (2005) ISBN 0-19-280670-X
  • Alfred Niezychowski, The Cruise of the Kronprinz Wilhelm, 1928, published by Doubleday

Lieutenant Alfred Niezychowski aboard the German liner Kronprinz Wilhelm Alfred Niezychowski (1888-1964) was a Polish noble (szlachta), a German Count, an officer in the merchant marine, an author and lecturer, and a Michigan political candidate for public office. ...

External links

 
 

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