Auxiliary cruisers were merchant ships taken over for conversion into a vessel armed with cruiser-size guns, and employed either for convoy protection against true cruisers, or for commerce-raiding missions, where its appearance was used to trick merchant ships into approaching. There were two main types - large passenger liners (known as armed merchant cruisers, or AMCs), and smaller merchant ships, which were armed with hidden guns and torpedo-tubes and equipped with floatplanes for scouting. In both world wars, these ships were found to be vulnerable to attack, and were withdrawn before the war ended.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 armour. The most famous AMCs in World War I were the British Carmania and the German Cap Trafalgar and Wilhelm der Grosse. In one incident in World War II the German Kormoran (ex-merchant Steiermark) managed to surprise and sink the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney, which approached too close. In most cases auxiliary cruiser raiders tried to avoid detection. Whilst the British used armed passenger liner as auxiliary cruisers and used them to protect convoys, the Germans used normal freighters provided with hidden weapons as commerce raiders. USS Port Royal, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1994. ... A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support. ... A modern torpedo, historically called a self propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery A seaplane is an aircraft designed to take off and land on water. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... 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 laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at Wallsend-on-Tyne, England on 8 July 1933 as HMS Phaeton, purchased by the Australian Government in 1934 and renamed in memory of the earlier Sydney. ... 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. ...

(Compare to the Q-ship) 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. ...

Allied merchant cruisers of World War I

Royal Navy World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...

• Alcantara (lost on 29 February 1916)
• Carmania
• Celtic
• Clan MacNaughton (lost on 3 February 1915)
• Laurentic
• Moldavia (lost on 23 May 1918)
• Motagua

February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 1916 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Allied merchant cruisers of World War II

Royal Australian Navy World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... Royal Australian Navy Ensign The Royal Australian Navy (or RAN) is the navy of Australia and part of the Australian Defence Force. ...

• Manoora
• Westralia

Royal New Zealand Navy Royal New Zealand Navy Ensign 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. ...

• Prince David
• Prince Henry
• Prince Robert

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. ...

• Alaunia
• Alcantara
• Andania (lost on 16 June 1940)
• Antenor
• Antonia
• Arawa
• Ascania
• Asturias
• Aurania
• Ausonia
• Bulolo
• California
• Canton
• Carinthia (lost on 6 June 1940)
• Carnarvon Castle
• Carthage
• Cathay
• Cheshire
• Chitral
• Cilicia
• Circassia
• Comorin (lost on 6 April 1941)
• Corfu
• Derbyshire
• Dunnottar Castle
• Dunvegan Castle (lost on 27 August 1940)
• Esperance Bay
• Forfar (lost on 2 December 1940)
• Hector (lost on 5 April 1942 during the Japanese Indian Ocean raid)
• Jervis Bay (lost on 5 November 1940)
• Kanimbla
• Laconia
• Laurentic (lost on 3 November 1940)
• Letitia
• Maloja
• Montclare
• Mooltan
• Moreton Bay
• Patroclus (lost on 4 November 1940)
• Pretoria Castle (converted to the escort carrier HMS Pretoria Castle)
• Queen of Bermuda
• Rajputana (lost on 13 April 1941)
• Ranchi
• Ranpura
• Rawalpindi (lost on 23 November 1939)
• Salopian (lost on 13 May 1941)
• Scotstoun (lost on 13 June 1940)
• Transylvania (lost on 10 August 1940)
• Voltaire (lost on 4 April 1941)
• Wolfe
• Worcestershire

June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (168th in leap years), with 198 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Indian Ocean raid Conflict World War II Date 31 March 1942 – 10 April 1942 Place Indian Ocean and Ceylon Result Japanese victory 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... HMS Jervis Bay was an armed mechant 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 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... 1939 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). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Germany

The German auxiliary cruiser - Hilfskreuzer or Handels-Stör-Kreuzer (HSK) - approached its target under a false flag with its guns concealed and its appearance altered with fake funnels and masts. The victim was thus engaged at point-blank range and had no chance to evade.

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.

Unlike 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 40mm, 37mm, and 20mm automatic weapons. Most raiders carried a 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. 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 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

German auxiliary cruiser raiders of World War II

• Orion (HSK-1)
• Atlantis (HSK-2)
• Widder (HSK-3)
• Thor (HSK-4)
• Pinguin (HSK-5)
• Stier (HSK-6)
• Komet (HSK-7)
• Kormoran (HSK-8)
• Michel (HSK-9)
• Coronel (HSK-10)
• Hansa (HSK-11)

World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... 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... Widder was sunk as a result of friendly fire from the Tirpitz. ... Thor was a crap german ship like atlantis and pinguin. ... The Nazi German Kriegsmarine auxilary cruiser Komet (HSK7) was a commerce raider of the Second World War. ... 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. ...

External link

• Hilfskreuzer page

• Maritimequest Kronprinz Wilhelm fact sheet and photo gallery