Cruise of the Raider Kormoran
 

Here is an interesting account and other info on the cruise of the Kormoran

http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/kormoran.html

One thing I have never been able to understand is why the Sydney's captain decided to close to such a short range. I don't mean to armchair quarterback him, but if the Sydney had remained at a longer range the outcome would probably have been very different. The "Devonshire" survived a similar encounter with a merchant raider because she refused to be lured within range by the enemy's signals.

Very likely the Captain of the Sydney fell for the Dutch Freighter ruse and there was an insane amount of good luck on the side of the Kormaran.

Agree, They had a good day (well as good as they could expect from the encounter, other than the Sydney letting them go). Sydney should have been better prepared and sould have stood off at a longer range, but as one historian suggested, they possablily wanted to stay close just in case she was a "prize" and wanted to board her to stop her scuttling.

First time I read about German Raiders.

Thanks.:up:

The first Raider Superstar? :arrgh!:

CSS Alabama: 1862-1864

Alabama sinking Hatteras off Galvestonhttp://ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersCivil...ksHatteras.jpg


"This almost ends the saga of Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes, and his intrepid ship, CSS Alabama, over 22 months, had captured 64 merchant vessels and a Union warship, in the last gunnery duel between wooden ships, she met her match off Cherbourg, and was sunk by USS Kearsarge, on the 19th. of June in 1864, but the final chapter remains to be unfolded."

Full story:

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersCivilWar/CSSAlabama.html

One could make the case for an even earlier commerce raider, that being Francis Drake. In the period of escalating tension before open conflict broke out between Spain and England, Drake left England in 1577 with six ships and close to 200 men on a covert mission against Spanish shipping. When he finally returned in 1580 (with one ship and less than 60 men), he had been one of the first to circumnavigate the globe. More importantly, he brought home an enormous store of spices (exceptionally valuable at the time) as well as huge amounts of gems and precious metals. The half-share due the Queen is reputed to have been equal to her entire income for a year.

Although Drake (and his peers) certainly infuriated the Spanish, it is hard to see that tensions would not have continued to rise anyway. Like the CSA, England was faced with a much more powerful enemy - raiding tactics and commercial targets served them well. One could make the case that Drake alone delayed the breakout of war by depriving the Spanish of much-needed wealth, forced them to spread their maritime resources further, deprived them of actual ships and at the same time providing a substantial boost to the income of what was at the time a fairly poor island kingdom.