The German auxiliary cruiser
Kormoran (HSK-8, Schiff 41, Raider G) was a warship
used in World War II. It is perhaps best-known
for the sinking of Australian light cruiser HMAS
Sydney in November 1941, following a battle in
which the Kormoran was also destroyed.
Kormoran was built by Germaniawerft of Kiel
and originally launched on September 15, 1938
as the merchant ship Steiermark of the Hamburg-America
Line. Renamed Kormoran (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 150 mm (5.9 in) guns,
torpedoes and seaplanes, but lacked the armour
protection, control systems, 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.
