Hilfskreuzer

HK Kormoran

Hilfskreuzer (Auxiliary Cruiser)
Kormoran
Nationality	German
Type	Hilfskreuzer (Raider)
Ship Code	41
Raider Code	G
Builder	Krupp-Germania Werft, Kiel., converted by Deutsche Werft AG
Launched	1938
Previous Owner	Hamburg - Amerika Line
Previous Name	Steiermark
General Cruise Details
Commander	Korvettenkapitän (Commander) Theodore Detmers (Knights Cross)
Sail date	3 December 1940
End cruise	19 November 1941
Fate	Sunk by HMAS Sydney, west of Australia
Performance
Prizes	12 ships
Tonnage Sunk	75.374
Days at Sea	351
Tons/Day (average)	214,74
Displacement
Tonnage	8.736
Dimensions
Lenght	164 meters
Beam	20,2 meters
Weapons
Main Battery	6 x 155 mm
Secondary Battery	2 x 37 mm
Torpedo Tubes	5
Mines	360
Aircraft
Fixed Wing	2
Smaller Boats
Schnellboot	None
Propulsion
Horsepower	16.000
Endurance	84.500 nautical miles
Speed	19 knots
Fuel Type	Oil
Complement
Wartime	400

Kormoran - War Records from 03-12-1940 to 19-11-1941
Number	Prize Name	Type	Flag	Date	Tonnage	Fate
1	Antonis	Freighter	Greece	06-01-1941	3.730	Sunk
2	British Union	Tanker	United Kingdom	18-01-1941	7.000	Sunk
3	Africa Star	Freighter	United Kingdom	29-01-1941	11.900	Sunk
4	Eurylochus	Freighter	United Kingdom	29-01-1941	5.725	Sunk
5	Agnita	Tanker	United Kingdom	22-03-1941	3.550	Sunk
6	Canadolite	Freighter	United Kingdom	25-03-1941	11.300	Captured
7	Craftsman	Freighter	United Kingdom	09-04-1941	8.020	Sunk
8	Nicolaos	Freighter	Greece	21-04-1941	5.485	Sunk
9	Velebit	Freighter	Yugoslavia	26-08-1941	4.155	Sunk
10	Mareeba	Freighter	United Kingdom	26-06-1941	3.470	Sunk
11	Embiricos	Freighter	Greece	26-09-1941	3.940	Sunk
12	HMAS Sydney	Light Cruiser	United Kingdom	19-11-1941	7.100	Sunk
Total Kormoran Prizes					75.375
Notes to:
1	Sunk by explosives charges.
2	Sunk by torpedo.
3	Sunk by explosive charges. 72 prisoners. Two british young ladies (it’s said of outstanding beauty; in top of that, they climb up to Kormoran almost naked, as any regular shipwreacker take by surprise) enjoyed of non standard housing facilities; they got a first class cabin over the swimming pool deck, with their own bathroom. The German crew always gave them a courteus and very respectful treatment.
4	Sunk by torpedo. Several deads. Meeting with Nordmark, for refuelling, and Duquesa, for refooding. 170 prisoners transferred to Nordmark. Meeting with Pinguin. Krüder propose to Detmers operate in team, but this, Fregattenkapitän, refuse to put himself reporting to Krüder, Kapitän zur See. Meeting with Admiral Scheer and U-105.
5	Sunk by torpedo. 38 prissoners.
6	Very good ship. Dispatched to Bourdeaux with prissoners. She arrives safely, and later converted to blockade runner Sudetenland. Meeting with U-105, U-106 and Nordmark.
7	-
8	Sunk by torpedo. Meeting with Dresden, Alsterufer and HK Atlantis.
9	Gunfired and abandoned, but not sunk. She strands at Andaman Islands, with a part of her crew.
10	Sunk by explosive charges.
11	Sunk by explosive charges. Meeting with Kulmerland, for refuelling and refooding.
12	Battle with HMAS Sydney, at very close distance (1.000 meters). Kormoran suffer four 6" hits, that provokes a major fire at centership. Abandoned (60 deads), explodes and capsized off Abrolhos Islands, Australia west cost. 320 shipwreackers interned five years on australian camp. HMAS Sydney sunk will all hands, after more than a thousand hits of 7,92, 20, 37, 75 and 152 mm, and also a torpedo hit.

Additional Information about the Ships engaged by Kormoran

Antonis

This Greek ship, carrying 4.800 tons of coal was sunk in mid-Atlantic on 6. January 1941 her 28 man crew (and one blind passenger) being taken on board. In keeping with his normal policy, Detmers asked her Captain to stay with his crew despite the cabins on board the raider specifically built for captured Captains and any possible female "passengers". This policy, he believed, helped ease possible communication problems and the maintenance of order among the captured crews.

British Union

This British tanker exchanged fire with Kormoran, and sent radio signals, but having been set on fire, she was abandoned. 28 members of her crew were picked up, plus a monkey and a bird! Due to the distress signals sent, Kormoran had to leave the scene immediately, leaving 17 tankermen adrift in life boats. Eight of these were later picked by HMAS Arawa, an Australian AMC, which had received the radio signals, and had in fact seen Kormoran's searchlight and gun flashes, but narrowly missed engaging the raider as she escaped into the night.

The Afric Star

A British refrigerator ship with a cargo of 5.708 tons of Argentine meat and 634 tons of butter, had her radio signals jammed by Kormoran's operator, and after 4 minutes of gunfire stopped and surrendered. Unfortunately this fine, valuable ship was no longer any use as a prize due to the damage she had sustained. 72 members of her crew and 4 passengers, including 2 young British women, who, having been sunbathing on deck, arrived on board the raider in their bathing costumes! The women's clothing was retrieved by the raider's boarding commando before the Afric Star was sunk and they were given first class accomodation and treatment on board the Kormoran. Among the items taken from Afric Star were radio code tables that enabled the Germans to read all British signals.

Eurylochus

This Blue Funnel liner carrying a cargo of sixteen heavy bombers, minus engines, was bound for Takoradi where the bombers were to be fitted with their engines and flown to Egypt to operations against Rommel's Afrika Korps. (The engines were aboard another ship travelling with Eurylochus, which signalled to London for instructions once it became clear to her Captain that the bombers had been destroyed) Eurylochus refused to stop, radioed RRR and returned Kormoran's fire - 4 shots to the raider's 67, during which 11 of her crew were killed. 42 survivors (3 English and 39 Chinese) were picked up as the explosive charges were being set. Another 18 British and 20 Chinese escaped in the boats. After the charges exploded it seemed as if her radio had started sending again, and so Kormoran re-opened fire, spraying the bridge with 2 cm anti-aircraft fire until it stopped. A torpedo was then fired to finish Eurylochus off, but to the horror of the raider's watching crew, one of the missing lifeboats was seen to be approaching the liner amidships, at exactly the point where the torpedo was about to hit. Despite signals and warnings flashed from Kormoran, there wasn't time for the men in the boat to react, and they and the torpedo arrived alongside together. In the ensuing explosion the boat and everyone in it were blown to bits. Her Captain and 27 crewmen were picked up next day by a Spanish ship. On 7 February 1941 Kormoran rendezvoused with Nordmark and Duquesa taking on oil and provisions and transferring prisoners.

Agnita

When ordered to stop this small armed tanker radioed her position and tried to escape. Several salvoes brought her to a halt and due to the damage done to her engine room it was decided to sink her. The charges were set and exploded, but she would not sink, being kept afloat by her empty oil tanks. After nine 5,9 inch shells had been put into her without success, she was finally sunk by a torpedo. Her 38-man crew, 13 British and 25 Chinese, were picked up.

Canadolite

A Canadian tanker built by Krupp Germania, also used her radio and tried to escape when challenged to stop. Kormoran, having tried to jam the signals, opened fire and the tanker stopped. Her crew of 44 were taken on board along with yet another monkey!. As she was such a new ship, she was dispatched to Bordeaux under a prize crew, with most of her own crew, other captured crews and passengers on board. Her Captain, Chief Engineer, Wireless Operator and the senior member of her gun crew had been detained on Kormoran for security reasons, and having safely arrived in the Gironde , she was converted into the blockade-runner Sudetenland .

Kormoran met with Nordmark, U-105 and U-106 between 28 March and 2 April 1941, and with Rudolf Albrecht on 3 April 1941, when she took on supplies of oil, provisions, potatoes, bananas, oranges, a live pig, a small dog, magazines and English cigarettes!

Craftsman

Bound for Cape Town with a large anti-submarine net intended for use at the entrance to Cape Town harbour, The (British) Craftsman approached Kormoran so fast from astern that at first Detmers feared she might be an AMC and took evasive action, but having established that she was in fact a freighter, Detmers signalled to her to stop. But The Craftman tried to escape, sending radio signals as she did so. These were jammed by Kormoran's operator as the raider then opened fire. After a 10 minute gun battle the stricken freighter stopped, on fire amidships, with 5 of her crew killed, and her Captain blinded by flying sand from sandbags he had foolishly deployed on the bridge. 46 survivors were taken on board Kormoran, explosive charges were set off and the ship settled. But she would not sink, being kept afloat by the buoyancy provided by the large floats attached to the anti-submarine net in her hold. A torpedo was required and blew open her stern holds, releasing hundreds of these floats onto the surface! They looked like mines and were indeed subsequently reported as being mines, over a very wide sea area, for many weeks afterwards!

Nicolaos

Carrying a cargo of Oregon Pine (above and below decks) from Vancouver to Durban by way of the Panama Canal, she was sent the usual Kormoran signal "Heave to! – No Wireless!" but she did not stop. A few salvoes brought her to a halt. Although a fine ship with a quality cargo, there was no point in keeping her as a prize as too much damage had been done to her bridge and steering gear. Explosive charges failed to sink her; gunfire also failed (even four 15 cm hits on the waterline); she was being kept afloat by her cargo of timber. As ammunition and torpedoes were considered too precious to waste, the ship was left to sink in her own time. Her 38 man crew was picked up.

Rendezvous with Nordmark, Alsterufer and HK Atlantis.

Velebit

This old Yugoslav freighter in ballast refused to stop despite repeated requests to do so and intense gunfire – twenty nine 5,9 inch shells hit her over 7 minutes until she was engulfed in flames. Only 9 of her 34-man crew were picked as the wrecked and doomed Velebit continued towards the Andaman Islands where she finally ran aground and was abandoned by the surviving members of her crew.

Mareeba

This Australian freighter carrying 5.000 tons of sugar, having picked up Velebit's distress signals, radioed her own position when ordered to stop by Detmers, who had skilfully stalked her, and only did so when after several hits, she began to sink. Her Captain and 47-man crew were taken on board Kormoran.

Embiricos

As this coal-burning Greek freighter was low in fuel when captured, she was of little use as an auxiliary or prison ship and so, was scuttled. While her Captain and 5 crewmen were being picked up from one lifeboat, 24 other crew members drifted away in another, and were not discovered until the next day by Kormoran's seaplane.

HMAS Sydney

The battle that took place off the northwest coast of Australia between this Leander class light cruiser and the raider Kormoran remains one of the most extraordinary and controversial sea battles in history.

Having challenged the raider, which was masquerading as the Dutch Straat Malakka, to identify herself, and not having received a satisfactory response, the cruiser's Captain inexplicably brought his ship to well within 1.000 metres of her - with disastrous results. In such circumstances Kormoran had little choice but to open fire, and in the following action quickly devastated the cruiser, with a torpedo strike and sustained gunfire, which wiped out her bridge and fire control systems. The raider herself sustained four fatal hits from Sydney 's 6 inch guns, causing a major fire amidships, serious damage to her engine room and destroying her fire fighting equipment. It was clear that Kormoran could not be saved, and with so many mines stored on board, and the fires out of control, Detmers decided to quickly abandon ship.

Approx 20 of Kormoran's crew had been killed in the battle, and a further 40, mostly wounded, died when their life raft capsized while the ship was being abandoned. At approx 01:20 the mines blew up with a gigantic explosion hundreds of feet high, and Kormoran went down, stern first. HMAS Sydney, ablaze and wracked by internal explosions, was last seen drifting into the dusk, and was never seen again. Not one of her 645-man crew survived.

Commander Detmers and the surviving members of Kormoran's crew were picked up and interned in Australia .

Gallery

Credits
Alfonso Arenas, Spain	The architect and creator of the Hilfskreuzer section based on his knowledge and private archive.
Antonio Bonomi, Italy	Supplied a lot of Hilfskreuzer material from his private archive.
Jonathan Ryan, Ireland	Helped with valuable background information and support.