Code - 3MGER4

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Description - GERMAN ARMED MERCHANT RAIDERS OF WW2 During World War 2 the German Navy converted a number of merchant ships to be "Raider Cruiser" - "Handels-Stor-Kreuzer", sometimes referred to as "Auxiliary Cruisers" - "Hilfskreuzer". Each model is presented as a Raider with guns showing, and as an apparently innocent merchant vessel with the guns hidden. The "unarmed" version is given the suffix "a". The nine ships which actually served as "Handels-Stor-Kreuzer", were given naval number HSK1-9. (Two additional cruisrs were proposed, Coronel and Hansa, but these eventually served in different roles.) As well as their naval number, each vessel was also given a ship number, which was used for signals, and, as each ship was discovered by the Royal Navy, an identification letter was allocated by the Admiralty. These names and numbers were in addition to the ships original Mercantile name and the ships name as a Raider. Hence, each ship could have up to 5 different means of identification. HSK 1 N3727 & N3727a Name ORION Signal No Schiff 36 Admiralty Raider Code Riader A Mercantile Name Kurmark Tonnage 7,021 g.r.t. Dimensions 463' x 61' x 27' Armament 6 x 5.9" - taken from Battleship Schleswig-Holstein 1 x 3", 4 x 37mm, 4 x 20mm Torpedo Tubes 6 x 21" Aircraft 1 Mines 230 Speed 14 knots History Sailed 6.4.1940 Sank or captured 6 ships on her own and a further 7 ships in company with KOMET. Returned to Bordeaux 23.8.1941. Converted to a floating workshop, and in 1944 to a gunnery training ship. Sunk by bombing at Swinemunde 4.5.1945. HSK2 N3724 & N3724a Name ATLANTIS Signal No Schiff 16 Admiralty Raider Code Raider C Mercantile Name Goldenfels Tonnage 7,862 g.r.t. Dimensions 488' x 61' x 31' Armament 6 x 5.9", taken from Battleship Schlesien 1 x 3", 2 x 37mm, 2 x 20mm Torpedo Tubes 4 x 21" Aircraft 2 Mines 92 Speed 16 knots History Sailed 11.3.1940. Sank 22 ships before being caught by H.M.S. Devonshire and sunk on 23 .11.1941. HSK3 N3723 & N3723a Name WIDDER Signal No Schiff 21 Admiralty Raider Code Raider D Mercantile Name Neumark Tonnage 7,851 g.r.t. Dimensions 477' x 63' x 28' Armament 6 x 5.9" taken from Battleship Schleswig-Holstein 4 x 37mm, 2 x 20mm. Torpedo Tubes 4 x 21" Aircraft 2 Mines 60 Speed 14 knots History Sailed 6.5.1940. Sank 10 ships before returning to Brest 31.10.1940. Became a Floating workshop in Norway and survived the war to be returned to mercantile use. HSK4 N3722 & N3722a Name THOR Signal No Schiff 10 Admiralty Raider Code Raider E Mercantile Name Santa Cruz Tonnage 3,862 g.r.t. Dimensions 379' x 54' x 23' Armament 6 x 5.9" taken from Battleship Schlesien 2 x 37mm, 4 x 20mm Torpedo Tubes 4 x 21" Aircraft 1 Mines 90 (none carried on second cruise) Speed 18 knots History Sailed 6.6.1940. Sank or captured 12 ships including sinking the Armed Merchant Cruiser Voltaire. She had already been in action with two other A.M.C.'s - Carnarvon Castle and Alcantra. Reached Hamburg 30.4.1941 On her second voyage she left Kiel on 30.11.1941 and sank a further 10 ships before arriving in the Japanese port of Yokohama. There she was sunk by an explosion after catching fire from the tanker Uckermark (ex-Altmark) which had caught fire accidentally. HSK5 N3725 & N3725a Name PINGUIN Signal No Schiff 33 Admiralty Raider Code Raider F Mercantile Name Kandelfels Tonnage 7,766 g.r.t. Dimensions 485' x 61' x 31' Armament 6 x 5.9" taken from Battleship Schlesien 1 x 3", 2 x 37mm, 2 x 20mm Torpedo Tubes 4 x 21" Aircraft 2 later 1 Mines 300 Speed 16 knots History Sailed 22.6.1940. Sank or captured 28 vessels, including the bulk of the Norwegian whaling fleet before being sunk by H.M.S. Cornwall on 8.5.1941. HSK6 N3726 & N3726a Name STIER Signal No Schiff 23 Admiralty Raider Code Raider J Mercantile Name Cairo Tonnage 4,778 g.r.t. Dimensions 408' x 56' x 21' Armament 6 x 5.9" 2 x 37mm, 4 x 20mm Torpedo Tubes 2 x 21" Aircraft 2 Speed 14 knots History Sailed from Rotterdam 12.5.1942. Sank 4 ships including the American merchant ship Stephen Hopkins, which returned fire with her 1 x 4" gun. Stier was so badly damaged that she sank 27.9.1942 HSK7 N3721 & N3721a Name KOMET Signal No Schiff 45 Admiralty Raider Code Raider B Mercantile Name Ems Tonnage 3,287 g.r.t. Dimensions 358' x 50' x 20' Armament 6 x 5.9" 1 x 60mm, 2 x 37mm, 4 x 20mm (2 x 37mm added for second voyage) Torpedo Tubes 6 x 21" Aircraft 2 Mines 270 Also Carried small M.T.B LS. 2 Speed 16 knots History Sailed 9.7.1940 and sank 7 ships on her own and a further 7 in company with Orion. Returned to Hamburg 30.11.1941. On her second voyage she sailed from Flushing 7.10.42 but was torpedoed and sunk by the British M.T.B. 236 of Cap Hague on 14.10.1942. HSK8 N3720 & N3720a Name KORMORAN Signal No Schiff 41 Admiralty Raider Code Raider G Mercantile Name Steiermark Tonnage 8,736 g.r.t. Dimensions 515' x 66' x 30' Armament 6 x 5.9" 4 x 37mm, 4 x 20mm Torpedo Tubes 4 x 21" Aircraft 2 Mines 320 Speed 18 knots Also Carried small M.T.B LS. 3 History Sailed from Stavenger in December 1940 and sank 11 ships before meeting the Australian cruiser Sydney on 19ll.1941. In the ensuing battle, both ships were lost. HSK9 N3728 & N3728a Name MICHEL Signal No Schiff 28 Admiralty Raider Code Raider H Mercantile Name Bielsko Tonnage 4,740 tons Dimensions 433' x 55' x 24' Armament 6 x 5.9" 3 x 37mm, 2 x 20mm Torpedo Tubes 4 x 21" Aircraft 2 Speed 16 knots History Sailed 19.4.1942 and sank or captured 18 ships before being sunk by the U.S. submarine Tarpon of Yokohama on 17.10.1943. She had undergone a refit in Kobe from March to May 1943.