Re: Battleships and Merchants

From: "K.H.Ranitzsch" <KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de>

> As late as WWII, the Germans fielded converted civilian vessels in
their
> Navy for fighting purposes. Fishing vessels for coastal patrols and
such,
> and various freihgters as "Hilfskreuzer" (Auxiliary Cruisers) for
commerce
> raiding. In WWI, these included passenger liners and even a Tall Ship
> (sailing vessel), the "Seeadler".

I've heard toasts to the Graf Von Lueckner drunk in Naval Messes here in
Australia. There's a bit of a love-hate relationship. Certainly GvL
caused
more problems for the RAN than any other individual. But IMHO he's the
most outstanding naval commander of the 20th century, a worthy opponent.

> Even more trivia: My grandfather was aboard the "Kaiser Wilhelm der
Große",
> a converted luxury liner. After a brief career as a commerce raider,
they
> met a real warship, the cruiser HMS "Highflyer"

Glad he survived intact.

The UK in both WW1 and WW2 converted many of the smaller liners into
Armed
Merchant Cruisers (Bewaffenethaendelskruizer?) - to act as escorts and
as independant patrol ships.

IMHO the most interesting examples were the (German) Cap Trafalgar
http://www.deutsche-passagierschiffe.de/Schiffsbilder/trafalgar_seite.JP
G
with 3 short funnels

and the (British) Carmania.
http://www.greatships.net/scans/PC-CA16.jpg
with 2 tall funnels, painted red with black tops.

They met: http://www.military-prints.com/images/wy8.jpg

And the ship with 2 tall red funnels was sunk:
http://www.military-prints.com/images/wy9.jpg

But see:
http://www.greatships.net/scans/PC-CA77.jpg

The Cap Trafalgar had been "Vismodded" to look like the Carmania. And
the
Carmania was masquerading as the Cap Trafalgar!

"Simpson, Colin The Ship that Hunted Itself
Stein and Day, 1977.
German Cap Trafalgar and British Carmania, similar passenger liners,
were
converted into armed merchant cruisers at the start of the War. They
masqueraded as each other, and fought: Carmania sank Cap Trafalgar. "