Kormoran
Scuttled
| Type | Armed merchant cruiser |
|---|---|
| War | Second World War |
| Main guns | 6 × 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 C guns |
Disguised raider. Off Western Australia on 19 November 1941 she lured the cruiser HMAS Sydney close in and opened fire; both ships were wrecked. Sydney was lost with all 645 aboard, the worst loss in Australian naval history, and Kormoran was scuttled. Both wrecks were found in 2008.
Armament and specifications
Armament
- 6 × 15 cm (5.9 in) SK L/45 C guns
- 2 × 3.7 cm (1.46 in) PaK 36 anti-tank guns
- 5 × 2 cm (0.79 in) FlaK 30 anti-aircraft guns
- 6 × torpedo tubes (2 twin deck mounts; 2 single, aft-angled submerged tubes)
- 24 × 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedoes
- 360 EMC + 30 TMB naval mines
| Builder | Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel, Germany |
|---|---|
| Launched | 15 September 1938 |
| Commissioned | 9 October 1940 |
| Displacement | 19,900 t (19,600 long tons) |
| Length | 164 m (538 ft 1 in) |
| Speed | 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 25 officers, 375 enlisted |
As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.
Career
Launched
15 September 1938
19 November 1941
Theodor Detmers; 318 of 399 survived