Missile Kormoran

Originally the merchant vessel Steiermark, the vessel was launched in 1938 and requisitioned for conversion into an auxiliary cruiser following the outbreak of World War II. It was commissioned as Kormoran on October 9, 1940, under the administrative designation Schiff 41.

The vessel was armed with six 15 cm SK L/45 guns concealed by false hull plates and fake cargo hatches. Secondary armament included 2 cm anti-aircraft guns on hydraulic platforms and 3.7 cm anti-tank guns. The ship was equipped with six torpedo tubes, utilizing both deck-mounted and submerged launchers. It carried EMC and TMB naval mines for deployment via a minelaying boat. For reconnaissance, the vessel carried two Arado 196 seaplanes. Propulsion consisted of four 9-cylinder diesel motors driving electric motors. The ship utilized equipment and structural modifications to masquerade as neutral or Allied merchant vessels.

Operated by Germany, the vessel conducted operations in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans between 1940 and 1941. It destroyed 10 merchant vessels and captured the tanker Canadolite. On November 19, 1941, the vessel engaged the light cruiser HMAS Sydney off Western Australia. The engagement resulted in the sinking of the cruiser by torpedo and gunfire. The vessel sustained damage to its engine room and an oil fire during the battle. Following the order to abandon ship, the vessel was scuttled and sank after its mine hold detonated. Survivors were held in prisoner-of-war camps until 1947. The wreck was located in 2008.