Sinking of Pinguin

8 May 1941, Indian Ocean, north of the Seychelles

British victory; Pinguin sunk

Pinguin, under Ernst-Felix Krüder, had sunk or captured about thirty ships, among them almost the whole Norwegian whaling fleet in the Antarctic. On 7 May 1941 she sank the tanker British Emperor, which got off a raider report, and the next morning the cruiser Cornwall found her. Krüder claimed to be the Norwegian Tamerlane and ran, while Cornwall closed to check. When Cornwall fired a warning shot he dropped his disguise and opened fire, hitting the cruiser and briefly knocking out her steering. Cornwall's 8-inch salvoes hit the mines Pinguin carried, and she blew up. More than 500 people died, among them some 200 British and Indian prisoners. Cornwall picked up 60 Germans and 22 prisoners.