german commerce raider kormoran

[201] The search was declared complete just before midnight on 7 April, with Geosounder returning to Geraldton. She is also known for sinking the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney during a mutually destructive battle off Western Australia on 19 November 1941. [234][235] The Cole Report stated that Sydney's seakeeping ability would have rapidly deteriorated, hampering any evacuation efforts. [77] Prisoners from Kormoran were handed over to the other ships, and the raider received new sailors to make up numbers. [200] Observation of the Kormoran wreck confirmed that the mine deck explosion had torn the stern half of the ship apart, with few recognisable items in the large debris field. [207] He cites other parts of the autobiography, where Detmers repeatedly asserts that he had committed no crime, while stating his fear of court martial, as indicating a guilty conscience. (ed.) [10] The cruiser was recalled to Australia in early January 1941: the need to rest the ship and personnel, plans to spread combat experience across the RAN fleet, and a desire to reinforce the nation following German raider activity in nearby waters were all factors. [99][100] Late on 23 September, the navigational lights for a ship were sighted. The lack of information about Japanese involvement is attributed to a wide-ranging cover-up of Japanese aggression prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, in an attempt to draw the United States into the war. [52] Some metal was acquired from the raider Pinguin on 25 February, but this was not enough to replace all the bearings. The German commerce raider Atlantis became the stuff of legends during World War II. [247], Olson lists two groups of sailors that could have been mistaken for pantrymen, but had a reason to be where Detmers saw them. [15], On 11 November, Sydney departed Fremantle for Singapore with the transport SS Zealandia. [86][89] The Australian ship was scuttled, and sank quickly at 8°15′N 88°06′E / 8.250°N 88.100°E / 8.250; 88.100. After modification, Kormoran was 515 feet (157 m) long and 66 feet (20 m) wide, with a Gross Register Tonnage of 8,736. [91] Kormoran's disguise was changed to the Dutch freighter Straat Malakka, and notice was received of a further 100 Second Class Iron Crosses and five First Class Iron Crosses awarded to the ship. [63][66] After completing the turn, battle damage caused Kormoran's engines to fail completely, leaving the raider dead in the water while Sydney continued to sail southwards at low speed. [233] Mearns estimated that once the bow was lost, the rest of the cruiser's hull would have remained afloat for, at most, two minutes, and anyone still remaining aboard would have been killed as the ship sank. [270][271], Olson (among others) believes that Burnett was placed under conflicting orders: raiders were to be destroyed (preferably at range to avoid retaliation), but merchantmen and raider supply ships were to be captured to replace Allied freighters sunk in the tonnage war. [183] A forum in 1991 unsuccessfully attempted to do this, and Ballard withdrew his offer. "What may the wreck of the Sydney reveal", published in Warship Vol 42; the RUSI Journal United Service in Feb 2008, and in the Australian Naval Institute's Headmark in Dec 2007, was the first battle-damage assessment of what the wreck of the Sydney – if it was found – would look like. [14] The underwater tubes were amidships, angled at 135° from the bow, and could only be fired if the raider was travelling at less than 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). [63] The German survivors were in five boats and two rafts: one cutter carrying 46 men, two damaged steel liferafts with 57 and 62 aboard (the latter carrying Detmers and towing several small floats), one workboat carrying 72 people, one boat with 31 men aboard, and two rafts, each bearing 26 sailors. Wartime magazine, Issue 45, that speculation the Sydney crew were massacred was damaging to the well-being of the families concerned. [137] Mearns's organisation entered a partnership with HMAS Sydney Search Pty. [43] Sneaking up on the vessel, Kormoran opened fire; her first salvo missed, but within minutes, the target was heavily damaged and aflame. [144] This search box (calculated to be 52 by 34 nautical miles (96 by 63 km; 60 by 39 mi) in size) would then be inspected over several days with a side-scan sonar towed by Geosounder. [111] In addition, some of the Germans were interviewed, formally or informally, prior to their group reuniting with others; the independent accounts provided the same common elements. [2] By the 1930s, the discrepancy between the conventional warship strength of Germany and that of other nations led the German military to recognize that auxiliary cruisers engaged in commerce raiding could play a significant role in future wars, as they had during World War I. [241] Other individuals or groups have made claims that they heard or witnessed the receipt of messages (either voice or morse) from Sydney, or saw transcripts of these messages. [d][123], Despite the approximate position of Kormoran being known (most German accounts giving the battle coordinates as 26°S 111°E / 26°S 111°E / -26; 111), the required search area for both ships was unfeasibly large. [64] The freighter took heavy damage, as every time Detmers ordered or was about to order a cease-fire, the target ship attempted to escape or transmit another distress signal. [36][37] After another delay, Kormoran raised "PKQI"—the call-sign for the Dutch merchant ship Straat Malakka—on the triatic stay and hoisted a Dutch merchant ensign. [55] Two torpedoes from Kormoran's starboard above-water tubes were launched simultaneously with the raider's attack, and the close proximity of the target allowed the use of the anti-aircraft and close defence guns to rake Sydney's flank, thus preventing the use of the cruiser's secondary weapons. [69][70] However, after the wrecks were located, it was determined that Sydney was under limited control after the battle, maintaining a course of 130–140 degrees true at speeds of 1.5 knots (2.8 km/h; 1.7 mph). Available in PDF form www.defence.gov.au/sydneyii/WAM/WAM.070.0010.pdf, Military history of Australia during World War II, Search for HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, Joint Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, "Australian judge to examine wartime ship loss", "WWII Shipwrecks Photographed off Australia", "The HMAS Sydney/HSK Kormoran engagement: an analysis of events leading up the 60th anniversary celebrations in November 2001", "HMAS Sydney wreck to be recorded in safeguard mission", "HMAS Sydney II Memorial completed in time for the commemorative 70th anniversary", The Royal Australian Navy in World War II, Battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, Western Australian emergency of March 1942, Western Australian emergency of March 1944, Coastal defences of Australia during World War II, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_between_HMAS_Sydney_and_German_auxiliary_cruiser_Kormoran&oldid=991074422, Naval battles of World War II involving Australia, Naval battles of World War II involving Germany, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [190] Samuels cites no reliable sources and ignores or dismisses evidence supporting the accepted view as part of the cover-up; one review states that the book only brings suffering to the relatives of those killed, and is on par with the Roswell UFO incident as a conspiracy theory. Following the discovery of the two ships, the damage did indeed match the article. [22] The longer route was justified by its greater distance from British naval and aviation bases, and was thus less likely to be patrolled. The “Hilfskreuzer” (auxiliary cruisers, generally complemented by “HSK”- Handels Stör Kreuzer, commerce raiders) were one of the trump cards of Admiral Raeder in his strategy. [112][117] By 16:35, with Sydney 8,000 metres (8,700 yd) away, the malfunctioning engine aboard Kormoran was repaired, but Detmers chose to keep it in reserve and maintain speed. German Raiders - "Kormoran" was the first of the second wave of raiders to leave for operations. [58] After the sixth German salvo, Sydney resumed fire with her aft turrets: "Y" turret fired less than four times with little effect, but multiple shots from "X" turret struck Kormoran, damaging the raider's machinery spaces, wounding the sailors manning one of the guns,[clarification needed] and starting a fire in an oil tank. Launched in 1938, the ship was to operate on the East Asia run, but had completed only sea trials when war was declared. The German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran (HSK-8) was a Kriegsmarine (German Navy) merchant raider of World War II. [66] Detmers ordered the transfer of four men from Nordmark to Rudolf Albrecht as guards, along with a fifth to Kormoran in exchange for the sick sailor taken from U-124 two weeks before. [33][34] At 15:55, what was initially thought to be a tall ship sail was sighted off the port bow, although it was quickly determined to be the mast of a warship (HMAS Sydney). [71], Kormoran was stationary, and at 18:25, Detmers ordered the ship to be abandoned, as damage to the raider's engine room had knocked out the fire-fighting systems, and there was no way to control or contain the oil fire before it reached the magazines or the mine hold. [105] Sydney was the largest Allied ship to be lost with all hands during the war. [49][50] A piano was taken from Nordmark's companion Duquesa, a captured coal-burning ship that was to be scuttled when her fuel ran out, but Detmers warned that if the piano caused any problems among the crew, it would be pushed overboard. [213] However, several shorthand experts consulted by Winter could find nothing resembling Einheitskurzschrift (or any other shorthand style) in the sketches. [167] Despite this, Australian authorities were able to piece together the broad details of the battle, which was verified by German sailors recovered by Aquitania who had been taken to Sydney instead. [76], At 06:00 on 23 November, the troopship RMS Aquitania recovered one of the two rafts carrying 26 German sailors at 24°35′S 110°57′E / 24.583°S 110.950°E / -24.583; 110.950. There were two classes: heavy cruisers and light cruisers. Rumours that the battle was not what it seemed commenced almost as soon as Sydney failed to reach Fremantle on schedule, some emanating from the highest levels in the administration,[197] but it was not until Montgomery's Who Sank The Sydney? [131] Kormoran's gunners shifted their aim to Sydney's waterline with their next three salvoes. [270][277][278], In the 2009 inquiry report, Cole determined that Burnett was following the approach and challenge procedures for an 'innocent' vessel, instead of a 'suspicious' one. The German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran (HSK-8) was a Kriegsmarine (German navy) merchant raider of World War II. [176][177], Although not written as such, the 1984 HMAS Sydney: Fact, Fantasy and Fraud by Barbara Winter served as a reply to Montgomery's work. [112] As the cruiser was on Kormoran's starboard quarter at 15,000 metres (16,000 yd), the flags were obscured by the raider's funnel; German accounts vary as to if this was done deliberately to make the ship seem civilian, a ruse to lure Sydney closer, or the signaller's honest mistake. Dr Lewis, who wrote Sensuikan I-124, and Darwin's Submarine I-124, contributed to the Cole inquiry, arguing strongly that this was impossible. [65] Prior to the torpedo launch, Detmers had decided to destroy Sydney completely and ordered the raider to turn to port so four-gun salvoes could be fired: this manoeuvre caused the torpedoes to pass astern of Kormoran. This German Commerce Raider Became the Stuff of Legend During World War II by Warfare History Network Rogge fired off a message to Berlin … [133] In 2002, a coalition of oil and gas companies involved in the North West Shelf Venture performed a gratis search of eight suspected targets in the proposed southern area. [135], American shipwreck hunter David Mearns first learned of the battle and mutual destruction of Sydney and Kormoran during a conference in 1996, and started studying the battle in 2001. German Commerce Raider Vs British Cruiser: The Atlantic and the Pacific 1941 the merchant vessel Steiermarkthe ship was acquired by the navy ... "Raider G. Damage sustained during the battle prompted the scuttling of Kormoran. [132] However, participants in the seminar could not agree on whether the battle location given by the Germans (referred to as the "northern position") or a point off the Abrolhos Islands (the area for the battle advocated by supporters of the "southern position") was more likely to contain the two ships. Launched in 1938 as the STEIERMARK for the Hamburg-Amerika Line, she was twice as big as the KOMET. [242][244] The 2009 inquiry concluded that no messages were sent by Sydney before, during, or after the engagement. [199] However, the two ships' armament was closer to equal than this matchup implied, and although Sydney normally had the advantage of armour plate and superior range, these were lost by closing with Kormoran. [110][111], On 19 November 1941, shortly before 16:00, Kormoran was 150 nautical miles (280 km; 170 mi) south-west of Carnarvon, Western Australia. [74] An expected shipment of white metal for Kormoran had been supplied to a different blockade runner, which was delayed. [181] Interested parties, including Montgomery, Winter, and Frame, were brought together for the three-day forum, but instead of reconciling different views of the battle, the forum only served to further split the participants. While 318 of the 399 aboard the German ship were rescued and placed in prisoner of war camps for the duration of World War II, there were no survivors from the 645 aboard the Australian cruiser. [182] Published in 1993, this was the first book dedicated to the subject authored by a naval officer or a trained historian, and in addition to analysing the battle and its aftermath, looked at the historiography to date and the development of the controversy. Selezione delle preferenze relative ai cookie. [33] As Sydney was approaching from just starboard of Kormoran's stern and 15,000 metres (49,000 ft) away, the call-sign was obscured by the raider's funnel: German accounts vary as to if this was to further the illusion of a civilian ship, a ruse to lure Sydney closer, or an error on the signaller's part. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser: The Atlantic & The Pacific 1941 at Amazon.com. [266][267] While DNA comparison testing did not produce definite results, as of September 2010 it remained on-going. [129] Another search was conducted by HMAS Protector in July 1997. [263] A 2001 search by the RAN failed to find the grave, but they were more successful during a second search in 2006. [80] Although originally confined to waters northeast of latitude 20°S and longitude 80°E, the raider's area of operations expanded on 1 June to encompass the entire ocean. 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