List of auxiliary and merchant cruisers

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

The following is a list, by period and country, of armed merchant ships used since late 19th century in the role of auxiliary cruisers, also called armed merchant cruisers.

RMS Carmania sinking SMS Cap Trafalgar near the Brazilian islands of Trindade, 14 September 1914.

Ships by period

Spanish-American War

American auxiliary cruisers

Name Comment
Badger(ex-Yumuri)
Buffalo(ex-El Cid)
Dixie(ex-El Rio)
Harvard(ex-New York, ex-City of New York)
Panther(ex-Austin)
Peoria
Prairie(ex-El Sol)
Resolute(ex-Yorktown)
St. Louis
Saint Paul
Yale(ex-Paris)
Yankee(ex-El Norte)
Yosemite(ex-El Sud)

Russo-Japanese War

Japanese merchant cruisers

Name Comment
America Maru
Bingo Maru
Hong Kong Maru
Kasuga Maru
Kumano Maru
Nikko Maru
Nippon Maru
Saikyo Maru
Shinano Maru
Taichu Maru
Tainan Maru
Yobo (ex-Yobo Maru)

Russian merchant cruisers

Note: This listing is incomplete.

Name Comment
Zabiaka
Lena
Ural

World War I

Allied merchant cruisers

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
Royal Navy
Name Notes
AlcantaraLost on 29 February 1916.
AlmanzoraIn service 23Aug.15-20.Dec.19. 1 of over 60 commissioned AMC's employed on patrol and later convoy protection, 33 served with 10th Cruiser Squadron on Northern Patrol.
AlsatianPost war, Allan line was taken over by CP and SS Alsatian was named RMS Empress of France 4 April 1919.
AmbroseBecame depot ship October 1915.[1]
Andes
Aquitania
Arlanza
Aramadale Castle
AvengerEx-Aotearoa, torpedoed and lost on 14 June 1917.
Avoca
BayanoLost on 11 March 1915 off Carswell Point, Stranraer - sunk by U-27.[2]
Berrida
CalgarianLost on 1 March 1918.
CalyxEx-Calypso, lost 10 July 1916.[1]
Candidate Torpedoed 6 May 1915, sunk by U-20
CaribbeanBecame accommodation ship July 1915, foundered 26 September 1915.[1]
CarmaniaVictor of the Battle of Trindade, served at Gallipoli and thereafter as a troopship, returned to civilian service by 1919.
Caronia
Cedric
Celtic
Centurion Torpedoed 6 May 1915, sunk by U-20
Changuinola
City of London
Clan MacNaughtonLost on 3 February 1915.
ColumbellaEx-Columbia, Anchor Line.
DigbyTransferred to French Navy as Artois on 24 November 1915, renamed Digby July 1917.
Ebro
Edinburgh Castle
Empress of Asia
Empress of Britain
Empress of Japan
Empress of RussiaRequisitioned 1914, released to civilian service October 1915, re-requisitioned 1918 until 1919.
EskimoReturned from Navy July 1915, Captured 26 July 1916.[1]
Gloucestershire
HilaryLost on 25 May 1917, sunk by U-88.
Hildebrand
Himalaya
IndiaLost on 8 August 1915.
Kildonan Castle
Kinfauns Castle
LaconiaLost on 25 February 1917, sunk by U-50.
LaurenticLost on 23 January 1917.
LusitaniaAlthough on the list of the British Admiralty's AMCs, it never performed in this role, and remained in civilian use. Lost 7 May 1915, sunk by U-20. Sister ship of RMS Mauretania, also on this list.
Macedonia
Mantua
MarmoraLost on 23 July 1918.
MauretaniaSister ship of RMS Lusitania, also on this list.
MoldaviaLost on 23 May 1918.
Montezuma Lost on 25 July 1917, sunk by UC-41.[3]
Morea
Motagua
Mount Temple Lost on 6 December 1916, sunk by Möwe.
Naldera
Narkunda Was serving as an auxiliary transport during the Allied landings in French North Africa in November, 1942. She had disembarked her troops at Bougie and had turned about for home when, toward evening on the 14th, she was bombed and sunk some distance off Bougie. Thirty-one persons were killed. Capt. Parfitt was among the survivors.[4]
OceanicLost on 8 September 1914, ran aground. RMS Oceanic was one of the rescue vessels that retrieved bodies from the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.
OlympicSunk U-103 on 12 May 1918, the only known incident in World War I in which a merchant vessel sank an enemy warship.
OphirConverted to Hospital Ship in 1918. Returned to the owners in 1919 but never refitted, being broken up in 1922.
OramaLost on 19 October 1917.
OrbitaAlso served in the Second World War as a troop carrier from 1941 to 1946.
Orcoma
Orduna
OropesaTransferred to France as Champagne on 2 December 1915. Renamed as Oropesa in July 1917.
Orotava
Orvieto
Osiris
OtrantoSurvived the Battle of Coronel, stranded on Islay after a collision with the steamship SS Kashmir on 6 October 1918.
OtwayLost on 23 July 1917 torpedoed by German submarine UC 49.
PatiaLost on 13 June 1918.
Patnea
Patuca
PrincessEx-Kronprincess Cecilie; Acted as dummy battleship HMS Ajax.[5]
Scotia
TeutonicCommissioned into the 10th Cruiser Squadron. In 1916, she was refitted with 6-inch guns, and served as a convoy escort ship as well as being used for troop transport.
Victorian
ViknorEx-RMS Atrato (1888–1912), RMS Viking (1912–1914). Lost on 13 January 1915 off Tory Island.
Virginian
Royal Australian Navy
Name Comment
BerrimaBecame Troop Carrier, October 1914.
French Navy
Name Comment
ArtoisEx-Royal Navy Digby.
ChampagneEx-Royal Navy Oropesa, lost on 9 October 1917.

German auxiliary cruisers

Name Comment
Berlin
Cap TrafalgarUsed the alias Carmania; Cap Trafalgar was sunk by RMS Carmania which used the alias Cap Trafalgar.
Cormoran
Geier
Greif
Iltis x Turritella x Gutenfels
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse
Kronprinz Wilhelm
Leopard
Meteor
Möwe
Prinz Eitel Friedrich
Seeadler
Victoria Luise x Deutschland
Vineta
Wolf x Belgravia
Wolf x Wachtfeld

Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Nationalists, whose navy was substantially outnumbered by the Republicans, made an extensive use of auxiliary cruisers during the Spanish civil war, two of them on loan from Italy:

Name Comment
Mar CantábricoFormerly under Republican control, she was captured by the Nationalist cruiser Canarias on 8 March 1937 off Santander. Assisted by the minelayer Vulcano, she took the largest foreign prize of the war with the capture of the Greek steamer Victoria, of 6,600 long tons (6,700 t), on 16 May 1938.[6]
Mar NegroUnder Republican flag at the beginning of the war, her captain and crew changed loyalties off Bone, Algeria, while returning to Barcelona from the Soviet Union.[6] She seized the last cargo ship captured during the civil war, the British Stangate off Valencia on 16 March 1939, despite the opposition of HMS Sussex.[7][8]
Ciudad de ValenciaShe used the alias Nadir for operations in the North Sea. She sank the Republican merchantman SS Cantabria off Cromer, Norfolk, on 2 November 1938.[9] The Republican steamers Josiña and Guernica were forced to seek shelter in Norwegian and Swedish waters, where the latter ran aground on 19 November at the island of Nidingen, in the Kattegat. Josiña reached Kristiansand, and she remained interned there until 1939.[10][11]
Ciudad de AlicanteShe supported the Ciudad de Valencia in the North Sea, where she played a secondary role in the capture of the Republican steamers Sil and Río Miera. Ciudad de Alicante and Ciudad de Valencia used the German port of Lunden as a resupply base.[10]
Ciudad de PalmaConverted to a warship in Italy in 1936. She assisted the minelayer Júpiter in the capture of the British cargo ship Candlestone Castle in Biscay on 17 July 1937.
Ciudad de Mahón
Vicente PucholAfter an initial deployment as an improvised minelayer, she was later converted to an auxiliary cruiser. She seized the 1,743-ton steamer Pomaron on 21 February 1938. The ship was the property of Strubin & Co. of London, and was sailing under Estonian flag. The freighter was confiscated and placed under Spanish flag as Castillo Butrón.[12]
Antonio LázaroAfter an initial deployment as an improvised minelayer, she was later converted to an auxiliary cruiser. The British liner Llandovery Castle was badly damaged when she struck a mine laid by Lázaro off Cap de Creus on 25 February 1937.[13]
DomineActive as auxiliary cruiser in the bay of Biscay from September to December 1936. Converted into a fast transport to carry allied moor pilgrims to Mecca in January 1937, she was later deployed in the Mediterranean as supply ship.[14]
Mallorca
Italian BarlettaRenamed Rio during operations in the Spanish war. She captured the Greek tanker Burlington (under British flag) in the central Mediterranean in 1937. Attacked at Palma de Mallorca by Republican bombers on 26 May 1937. After carrying out four missions, she was disarmed and used as supply ship by Nationalist forces before being returned to Italy. She saw service also during WWII under Italian flag.
Italian AdriaticoRenamed Lago during operations in the Spanish war. After three unsuccessful missions, she was disarmed and used as supply ship by Nationalist forces before being returned to Italy. She saw service also during WWII under Italian flag. Sunk by light cruiser HMS Aurora off Cape Bon on 1 December 1941.

World War II

Allied merchant cruisers

The Armed merchant cruisers were made by requisitioning large ships and providing them with guns and other equipment. They ranged from 6,000–22,000 long tons (6,100–22,400 t). The armament varied but six 6 in (150 mm) guns with 3 in (76 mm) guns as secondary was usual. From 1941, many served as troopships.

Royal Australian Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Navy
Name Comment
Alaunia
Alcantara
AndaniaLost, 16 June 1940, sunk by German submarine U-A.
Antenor
Antonia
Arawa Decommissioned 25 July 1941, converted to troopship, survived the War.
Ascania
Asturias
Aurania
Ausonia
Bulolo
California
Canton
CarinthiaLost, 6 June 1940, sunk by U-46 west of Ireland.
Carnarvon Castle
CasanareSunk 3 November 1940 along with HMS Patroclus and HMS Laurentic by U-99.
Carthage
Cathay
Cheshire
Chitral
Cilicia
Circassia
ComorinLost on 6 April 1941. Her burnt out wreck was sunk by HMS Broke.
Corfu
Derbyshire
Duchess of Richmond
Duchess of York
Dunnottar Castle
Dunvegan Castle Lost on 27 August 1940, sunk by U-46 west of Ireland.
Empress of Asia Lost on 5 February 1942.
Empress of Australia
Empress of Britain Lost on 28 October 1940.
Empress of Canada
Empress of Japan
Empress of Russia
Empress of Scotland
Esperance Bay
Forfar sunk by U-99 on 2 December 1940.
Hector Was decommissioned when lost on 5 April 1942 during the Japanese Indian Ocean raid.
Jervis Bay Lost on 5 November 1940 in an engagement against the German cruiser Admiral Scheer. Her commander, Captain Fegen, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Kanimbla Transferred to the Royal Australian Navy as a Landing Ship Infantry in 1943
Laconia
Laurentic Lost on 3 November 1940, sunk by U-99 west of Ireland.
Letitia
Maloja
Montclare
Mooltan
Moreton Bay
PatroclusLost on 4 November 1940, sunk by U-99 west of Ireland.
Pretoria Castle Converted into an escort carrier as HMS Pretoria Castle.
Queen of Bermuda
RajputanaLost on 13 April 1941, sunk by U-108 west of Ireland.
Ranchi
Ranpura
RawalpindiLost on 23 November 1939, sunk by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Her commander, Captain Edward Coverley Kennedy, was posthumously Mentioned in Dispatches.
SalopianLost on 13 May 1941, sunk by U-98, North Atlantic.
ScotstounLost on 13 June 1940, sunk by U-25 north-west of Ireland.
TransylvaniaLost on 10 August 1940, sunk by U-56 north-west of Malin Head.
VoltaireLost on 4 April 1941, sunk by German auxiliary cruiser Thor.
Wolfe
WorcestershireDamaged by U-74 on 3 April 1941
French Navy (Marine Nationale)

French auxiliary cruisers were armed with 138 mm, 152 mm or 150 mm guns, 75 mm and 37 mm AA guns and 13.2 mm or 8 mm AA HMG

German auxiliary cruiser raiders

Atlantis
Kormoran in 1940, view from a German U-boat
Stier under way

At the outbreak of war, the Kriegsmarine requisitioned a number of fast merchantmen and immediately sent them into naval shipyards to be converted into offensive auxiliary cruisers. These ships had at the time of building been fitted with extra strong decks specifically to facilitate the installation of military equipment when required, but this was the only difference between them and other merchantmen of the period. No precise plans had been drawn up for the conversion of these ships into warships, and consequently the conversion process was painfully long. Compared to the diversity of British auxiliary cruisers, the Hilfskreuzer were standardized insofar as possible. The ships themselves averaged approximately 7,000 long tons (7,100 t). Armament usually consisted of six 6 in guns, two to six torpedo tubes, and an assortment of 40 mm (1.57 in), 37 mm, and 20 mm (0.79 in) automatic weapons. Most of these merchant raiders carried an Arado Ar 196 floatplane for reconnaissance. Kormoran, Komet, and Michel were also equipped with small motor torpedo boats. In addition to armament, increased fuel, water, and coal storage had to be provided for as well. Furthermore, the raiders could not abandon the crews of their captures, so space had to be provided for prisoners. The first Hilfskreuzer got under way in March 1940, shortly before the Norwegian campaign.

Japanese armed merchant cruisers

Japan converted fourteen merchant ships to "armed merchant cruisers" but, by the end of 1943, five had been sunk and seven had been converted back to merchant ships.

Aikoku Maru in Singapore in 1942.

Italian armed merchant cruisers

Unlike the Germans and the Japanese, none of the armed merchant cruisers (or auxiliary cruisers) of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) were deployed to destroy or capture Allied merchant ships. All of them mounted two 4.7 in (120 mm) guns.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Armed Merchant Cruisers - Royal Navy". Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  2. ↑ "Record for HMS Bayano". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  3. ↑ SS Mount Temple#Capture and Sinking
  4. ↑ Hocking, Charles (1969). Dictionary of disasters at sea during the age of steam : including sailing ships and ships of war lost in action 1824-1962. Lloyd's Register of Shipping.
  5. ↑ Dittmar, Frederick James (20 Oct 1972). "British warships, 1914-1919". Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7. |first2= missing |last2= in Authors list (help)
  6. 1 2 Las Motonaves Mar Cantábrico y Mar Negro
  7. ↑ Royal Institute of British International affairs (1977).Survey of International affairs. Oxford University Press, p. 386.
  8. ↑ Parliamentary debate, 20 March 1939
  9. ↑ Heaton, Paul Michael (1985). Welsh Blockade Runners in the Spanish Civil War. Starling Press, p. 96. ISBN 0-9507714-5-7
  10. 1 2 González Etchegaray, Rafael (1977). La Marina Mercante y el tráfico marítimo en la Guerra civil. Editorial San Martín, p. 382. ISBN 84-7140-150-9
  11. ↑ González Etchegaray, p. 418
  12. ↑ Sabatier de Lachadenède, René (1993). La marine française et la guerre civile d'Espagne: 1936-1939. Service historique de la marine, p. 509
  13. ↑ Edwards, Jill (1979). The British government and the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Macmillan, p. 113. ISBN 0-333-24260-2
  14. ↑ M/N Domine (Spanish)

External links

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