German Auxiliary Cruiser Thor

''Thor'' (HSK 4, 10 and Raider E) was a German auxiliary cruiser of the ''Kriegsmarine'' in the Second World War, intended for service as a commerce raider. The ship was named after the Germanic deity ''Thor'', known to the ''Kriegsmarine'' as and to the British as Raider E.

Background

Commerce raiding

Auxiliary cruisers (raiders) were, for a small outlay in crews and material, a means of oceanic operations for the that could
force the Allies into considerable counter-measures, divert ships and aircraft and inflict considerable attrition on merchant ships through sinking or capture. The (Naval War Staff) used the experience of the First World War to convert ships into disguised auxiliary cruisers, with fairly heavy gun- and torpedo-armament and from 1942 radar. High cruising speeds of and long endurance were necessary. SKL planned to use wireless to direct raiders to different areas and to give a running commentary on circumstances by passing on wireless intelligence.

SKL strategy was to tie down and disrupt Allied sea operations, rather than obtain a high number of sinkings at the risk of the loss of raiders. Ship captains were directed to make surprise appearances, to force the Allies into diverting many ships for trade protection. Tankers and supply ships were to fuel, provision and supply the raiders by exploiting the inability of the Admiralty to maintain a continuous watch over the oceans. Merchant ships, were to be taken by preventing them from sending distress signals. Raiders were to transfer captured merchant crews to the supply ships.

Each ship would need a crew of 284 men, six -guns, four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, four torpedo tubes, provision for 400 mines, two seaplanes and some ships carried a light, fast E-boat for mining harbour entrances and surprise night attacks against merchant ships. The ships needed to be at sea for a year-long cruises of . The first raider was to sail in November 1939 but it took until 31 March 1940 before it sailed and July before all of the first wave had departed. By March 1941 the seven raiders in action had sunk or taken 80 ships of (GRT).

B-Dienst

The German (, Observation Service) of the (MND, Naval Intelligence Service) had broken several Admiralty codes and cyphers by 1939, which were used to help ''Kriegsmarine'' ships elude British forces and provide opportunities for surprise attacks. In 1941, read signals from the Commander in Chief Western Approaches informing convoys of areas patrolled by U-boats, enabling the submarines to move into "safe" zones. broke Naval Cypher No 3 in February 1942 and by March was reading up to 80 per cent of the traffic, which continued until 15 December 1943. By coincidence, the British could not read the ''Shark'' cypher and had no information to send in Cypher No 3 which might compromise Ultra.

Prelude

''Santa Cruz''/''Thor''

The cargo ship ''Santa Cruz'' (, ) was long, with a beam of , a draught of and a speed of . The ship was built by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, (DWH) in 1938 and was owned and operated by the Oldenburg Portuguese Line (OPDR), Hamburg. In the winter of 1939–1940 the requisitioned the ship and had DWH convert it into an auxiliary warship by DWH. The ship was commissioned as the (commerce raider) ''Thor'' on 15 March 1940.

Operational Intelligence Centre

Pre-war thinking at the Admiralty under-estimated the threat from U-boats and expected that the principal weapon of the would be the commerce raider. Between the wars the Admiralty and the Royal Air Force had never agreed about the control of maritime aircraft or grasped the role and effectiveness of aircraft over the seas, their strategy and tactics or their design and armament. In 1939 the Germans could only reach the high seas via the Scotland–Iceland gap or the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland. The Admiralty revived the Northern Patrol to intercept Blockade runners and detect the passage of German s (pocket battleships) that had been built as commerce raiders. In late 1940 the Operational Intelligence Centre created a sub-section to concentrate on armed merchant raiders to collect information that a raider was at sea based on ship disappearances, survivor reports on the appearances of raiders, their tactics and armaments, the presence of mines and the analysis of times and distances to infer the number of raiders.

As the presence of a raider was established it received a code letter, beginning with Raider A. It was discovered that the Germans named the ships and gave them a number (''Thor'' aider Ewas 10). From May 1941 a supplement of the Weekly Intelligence Report listed raiders, their size, speed, armament, captain, drawings or photographs their characteristics, tactics and a digest of their cruises. The wireless signal QQQQ was established for attacks by merchant raiders to go with RRR for attack by any ship and SSS for submarine attack. In May 1941 the cruiser intercepted a distress message from a tanker in the Indian Ocean that led to the sinking of Raider F ( ) that had been at sea for close to a year, sank or took as Prize of war 17 ships and 11 whalers of 136,000 GRT. The seven raiders at sea between April 1940 and November 1941 sank or took as prizes 87 ships of over 600,000 GRT.

First cruise

June 1940

''Thor'' (Captain Otto Kähler) began its first cruise on 6 June 1940, altered to look like the Russian freighter ''Orsk'' from Odessa. The ship was escorted into the North Sea by destroyers, minesweepers and aircraft. The British and French were evacuating troops from Harstad in the north of Norway, with a lot of ships in the area. As the ship sailed northwards, the weather deteriorated, enveloping the ship in fog and snow, despite the Midnight sun and it passed unseen. ''Thor''/''Orsk'' passed through the Denmark Strait and reached the North Atlantic on 16 June. On 22 June, Kähler reported to Berlin that ''Thor'' was west of the Azores and had changed disguise to the neutral ''Vir'' a Jugoslavian ship from Split.

July 1940

On 1 July, ''Thor/Vir'', met the 9,289 GRT Dutch cargo ship ''Kertosono'', which was carrying a cargo of petrol, timber, asphalt and agricultural machinery. Kähler decided to send it under a prize crew to Lorient in France, where it arrived on 12 July. On 7 July, just south of the Equator, ''Thor'' encountered ''Delambre'', a British 7,030 GRT freighter carrying hides and cotton to Britain. ''Delambre'' turned away leading to a stern chase and ehen ''Thor'' had closed the range to about several broadsides, were fired, the third of which hit ''Delambre'' and stopped it. A boarding party took the crew of 44 and a passenger prisoner and scuttled the ship with demolition charges.

Two days later on 9 July, ''Thor'' intercepted the Belgian freighter ''Bruges'', bound for Freetown with of wheat. ''Bruges'' was scuttled and its crew of 44 was taken aboard ''Thor''. On 14 July, ''Thor'' stopped ''Gracefield'' another British freighter carrying of wheat and bran from Montevideo. The 36-man crew was taken prisoner and two torpedoes were fired at the ship, one hit and the other circled the ship until it ran out of fuel; the ship was sunk by gunfire.

On 16 July ''Thor'' spotted a large plume of smoke from the British freighter ''Wendover'' (5,489 GRT) carrying coal to Buenos Aires. ''Thor'' approached by hiding in the smoke plume and opened fire without warning, as ''Wendover'' was seen to have two guns at the stern. ''Wendover'' was hit by several shells and set on fire. The wireless operator began sending "QQQQ" and one of the crew was seen running towards one of the guns at the stern. Another salvo hit the wireless cabin and killed the operator and with the fires spreading, the captain stopped the ship. Kahler sent a boarding party over that set demolition charges. When the charges detonated ''Wendover'' capsized and she was sunk by gunfire. Two members of the crew were killed in the attack, 37 were taken prisoner, two of whom were mortally wounded and died on board ''Thor'', being buried at sea.

The Dutch freighter ''Tela'', carrying of grain to Britain was intercepted on 17 July, ''Thor'' firing a shot across its bow and it stopped without sending distress signals. The crew of 33 abandoned ship and were taken aboard ''Thor'' and the ship was sunk with demolition charges. IN just over two weeks ''Thor'' had sunk six ships of 35,201 GRT and carried 194 prisoners. For ten days ''Thor'' stayed in the south Atlantic off the Brazilian coast. The prisoners were roused at for roll call at then after breakfast, shifts of 60–70 came on deck for sun, exercise and fresh air

''Alcantara''

On 28 July, ''Thor'' encountered a grey-painted ship that was hard to identify and eavesdropped on a wireless message reporting ''Thor'' and calling for help. The ship was the armed merchant cruiser HMS ''Alcantara'', with a main armament of eight BL 6-inch Mk XII naval guns (150 mm) two 3-inch guns and sundry anti-aircraft guns. Admiral Henry Harwood the commander of the South American Division, North America and West Indies Station had reacted to the number of overdue ships and Admiralty signals intelligence that raiders were operating in the South Atlantic. Using reports of survivors Harwood inferred that a raider was moving southwards and sent ''Alcantara'' to search for it. At about {{nowrap, 9:00 a.m. on 28 July off Argentina on a clear day with a calm sea, lookouts on ''Alcantara'' spotted a strange ship that turned away at high speed, arousing the suspicions of the captain, James Ingham.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=78

''Alcantara'' was capable of {{cvt, 19, kn, {{cvt, 2, kn faster than the other ship (''Thor'') and at about {{nowrap, 2:00 p.m. when the range was about {{cvt, 17350, yd Kähler decided to try to inflict enough damage on ''Alcantara'' to escape. ''Thor'' gained three early hits on ''Alcantara'', one between the bridge and funnel, a second aft and a third on the waterline that caused flooding in its engine room, forcing ''Alcantara'' to reduce speed. ''Alacantara'' replied with its 6-inch guns but was out-ranged by about {{cvt, 2000, yd and facing the sun, making it harder aim. After the fire control system was damaged, the gunners had to fire independently. Despite the difficulties, ''Thor'' was hit several times, one shell passing unexploded through the hull and damaging a shell hoist; another shell hit the boat deck and put the torpedo fire control system out of action. Using its reserve W/T, ''Alcantara'' sent "Enemy approximately 8,000 tons, speed 19 knots, armament four 5.9-inch guns". ''Thor'' turned away from ''Alcantara'' that had lost speed due to the shell-damage and instead of fighting on, ''Thor'' escaped under a smokescreen and changed disguise once out of sight.{{sfnm, 1a1=Duffy, 1y=2001, 1pp=77–80, 2a1=Poolman, 2y=1985, 2pp=158–164

August–September 1940

After the battle with ''Alcantara'', the ''Thor'' crew repaired the damage, cleaned boilers and changed their disguise. ''Thor'' rendezvoused with the supply ship ''Rekum'' on 25 August and then returned to Brazilian waters. Two weeks later, on Sept 8, the Yugoslav ''Federico Glavic'' was stopped, but allowed to proceed unmolested, as Yugoslavia was neutral at the time. On 26 September ''Thor''{{'s float plane discovered the Norwegian whale-oil tanker ''Kosmos'' (17,801 GRT), which was carrying over 17,000 tons of whale oil.{{sfn, Rohwer, Hümmelchen, 2005, p=43 The ''Kosmos'' would have been a highly valuable prize ship, but the fact that she was short of fuel, slow, and easily recognisable meant that taking as a prize was impractical and Kähler ordered the sinking of ''Kosmos'' by gunfire.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=83–84

October 1940

On 8 October ''Thor'' caught the 8,715 GRT British reefer ''Natia''. ''Thor'' achieved a direct hit, which stopped ''Natia'', though she continued wireless transmissions. ''Thor'' hit ''Natia'' seven or eight more times with gunfire, and a torpedo that tore open its side. Another 35 rounds were fired before she sank. One crewman was killed and 84 crew (one mortally wounded) were taken aboard ''Thor'', bringing its total of prisoners to 368.{{sfn, Jordan, 2006, p=505 Most of the prisoners were transferred to the supply ship ''Rio Grande'' in mid November.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=85

December 1940

''Carnarvon Castle''

On 5 December, at {{nowrap, 5:30 a.m. south-east of Rio de Janeiro, ''Thor'' encountered another armed merchant cruiser, HMS ''Carnarvon Castle'' (20,062 GRT) armed with eight 6-inch guns, four on each side, two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and various light weapons. Three of the four {{convert, 15, cm, 2, abbr=on guns on ''Thor'' were aft and Kähler decided to force ''Carnarvon Castle'' into a stern chase. At {{nowrap, 7:01 a.m. ''Carnarvon Castle'' fired a shot that fell {{cvt, 300, yd from ''Thor'' that raised the German ensign and began a turning engagement, both ships trying to manoeuvre to get the sun in the opponent's eyes, that lasted for about half an hour at a range of {{cvt, 7000, –, 8000, yd. ''Thor'' made as much smoke as possible and fired two torpedoes that missed. The gunners on ''Thor'' obtained five hits, starting three fires and knocked out the fire control system, leaving the gun crews to fire independently.

''Thor'' was a much smaller target and received no hits. At {{nowrap, 8:05 a.m. having been hit eight times, ''Carnarvon Castle'' turned away, dropped smoke floats and headed for Montevideo in Uruguay for repairs, with six men killed and 32 wounded. ''Thor'' suffered several guns jammed through overheating but these could be repaired as ''Thor'' sailed south at speed to avoid British ships that Kähler expected to join the search. Over 67 per cent of the ammunition for the main guns had been fired in the engagement and much fuel expended, replenished by ''Eurofeld'' on 21 December.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=83–84 A search to find ''Thor'' by the cruisers {{HMS, Cumberland, 57, 6, {{HMS, Enterprise, D52, 2 and {{HMS, Newcastle, C76, 2 failed.{{sfn, Rohwer, Hümmelchen, 2005, p=51 ''Thor'' was ordered to rendezvous with the {{ship, German pocket battleship, Admiral Scheer to transfer men for prize crews for the whalers taken as prizes by ''Pinguin''. The ships met on 25 December with the British reefer ship ''Duquesa'', a prize taken by ''Admiral Scheer'' and the tanker ''Nordmark''.{{sfn, Poolman, 1985, p=177

February–March 1941

In February ''Thor'' was fuelled by the tanker {{MV, Eurofeld and again in March by {{MV, Alsterufer, then ''Thor'' rendezvoused with the ten whalers captured by ''Pinguin''.{{sfn, Poolman, 1985, p=181 On 25 March ''Thor'' intercepted {{SS, Britannia, 1925, 2, an 8,800 GRT British passenger ship. After scoring several hits on the ship, Kähler allowed time for it to be abandoned, before sinking it with sixteen {{cvt, 15, cm, in, 2 shells to the waterline. The wireless operators intercepted a message from a nearby British warship, approaching at full speed from a distance of about {{cvt, 100, nmi. Kähler assumed that the British ship would arrive and rescue the survivors. Kähler contacted Berlin as he left but the ship failed to find the survivors and 331 out of approximately 520 survivors were rescued by the Spanish ships ''Cabo de Hornos'', ''Raranga'' and ''Bachi''. Thirty-three survivors reached land at Sao Luis, Brazil, after 23 days and {{cvt, 1500, nmi adrift at sea.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=89–90 On the same day ''Thor'' stopped the 5,045 GRT Swedish {{MV, Trollenholm, though neutral the ship was found to have been chartered by the British to take coal from Newcastle to Port Said. The 31 crewmen were quickly transferred to ''Thor'' and the freighter was sunk with demolition charges.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=91

4–16 April 1941

''Voltaire''

{{main, Action of 4 April 1941

On the return journey to Germany, just after dawn, ''Thor'', under a Greek flag, encountered {{HMS, Voltaire, , 6 (13,302 GRT) an armed merchant cruiser about {{cvt, 900, nmi west of the Cape Verde islands. ''Voltaire'' carried eight {{cvt, 6, in and three {{cvt, 3, in guns. ''Thor'' approached head on and in response to AAA signals from ''Voltaire'' (an order for a ship to identify itself) fired a warning shot. The first salvo from ''Thor'' hit ''Voltaire'' in the generator and wireless cabin, rendering it unable to transmit signals. ''Voltaire'' opened fire but with the electrical circuits out of action the guns had to be worked individually. ''Voltaire'' managed only one hit on ''Thor'', disabling the radio aerial. ''Voltaire''{{'s obsolete guns overheated and had to cease firing, at which point ''Voltaire'' was at {{cvt, 7000, yd circling at {{cvt, 12, kn ablaze and with a jammed rudder.{{sfnm, 1a1=Rohwer, 1a2=Hümmelchen, 1y=2005, 1p=67, 2a1=Brown, 2y=1995, 2p=43, 3a1=Poolman, 3y=1985, 3pp=182–183

At a range of {{cvt, 2000, yd ''Thor'' prepared to launch torpedoes but saw men jumping into the water, the remaining guns ceased fire and men on the poop deck waved improvised white flags. Kähler laid off at {{cvt, 4000, yd and began rescuing the survivors from ''Voltaire''. The Germans in their boats stood ready to fend off sharks with rifles and machine-guns. Having disabled the wireless on ''Voltaire'', Kähler felt safe to concentrate on the rescue for five hours. The captain and 196 men were rescued out of the 296 crew; the ship sank at 14°25′N, 40°40′W.{{sfnm, 1a1=Rohwer, 1a2=Hümmelchen, 1y=2005, 1p=67, 2a1=Brown, 2y=1995, 2p=43, 3a1=Poolman, 3y=1985, 3pp=182–183 ''Thor'' sailed north-west and transferred 170 prisoners to the tanker ''Ill'' on 14 April.{{sfn, Poolman, 1985, p=183 On 16 April, on the return voyage to Germany, ''Thor'' encountered the Swedish ore carrier ''Sir Ernest Cassel'' (7,738 GRT). Two warning shots were fired, which stopped the ship and the crew was taken aboard ''Thor''; demolition charges were used to scuttle the ship at 32°N, 35°W.{{sfn, Jordan, 2006, p=573 On 23 April ''Thor'' reached the Bay of Biscay, having spent 329 days at sea and had sunk or captured twelve ships of 96,547 GRT.{{sfnm, 1a1=Rohwer, 1a2=Hümmelchen, 1y=2005, 1p=70, 2a1=Duffy, 2y=2001, 2p=94

Second cruise

November 1941 – January 1942

When ''Thor'' was refitted, the old guns had been replaced with newer guns and radar. The new captain, {{lang, de, Kapitän zur See Günther Gumprich took nearly fifty of the crew from the first cruise.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=94{{efn, Since then the Empire of Japan had entered the war on 7–8 December and Germany had declared war on the United States on 11 December.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=94 After colliding in fog with ''Bothnia'' (1,343 GRT) a Swedish ore carrier, that sank quickly but with no casualties; ''Thor'' had returned to dry dock in Kiel for repairs to its bow. The second cruise recommenced on 30 November 1941 and ''Thor'' sailed along the French coast.{{sfn, Jackson, 2000, pp=77, 71 Storms delayed it in the Bay of Biscay until 14 January when it entered the Atlantic and turned south for the Antarctica looking for whalers. Thor was to relieve ''Kormoran'' (HSK 8, Raider G to the British) in the Indian Ocean.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=94

February–March 1942

''Thor'' voyaged into the Southern Ocean and crossed the Antarctic Circle on 25 February. The area was searched with the Arado 196A-1 for the whaling fleet. Short wave wireless transmissions suggested that whalers were operating in the vicinity but nothing was found. After a few days ''Thor'' turned north towards the South Atlantic shipping lanes. In the 23 March twilight, lookouts spotted smoke thought to be ''Regensburg'' that was due to rendezvous with ''Thor'' but it turned out to be the Greek freighter ''Pagasitikos'' (3,490 GRT). To save the crew, the captain stopped as ordered and did not send a sighting report, Thirty-two men and a woman were taken prisoner and the ship sunk with a torpedo. On 24 March ''Regensburg'' appeared about {{cvt, 1000, nmi west of the Orange River and ''Thor'' replenished; ''Regensburg'' then circled ''Thor'' for the radar operators to practice. On 28 March, ''Thor'' chased a ship for three hours after lookouts saw masts on the horizon but the ship was too fast to catch and the Arado was not used.{{sfnm, 1a1=Duffy, 1y=2001, 1pp=94–95, 2a1=Woodman, 2y=2005, 2p=470

Late in the morning of 30 March, about {{cvt, 700, nmi south-west of St Helena, the Arado crew reported that a British ship was steaming parallel to ''Thor'' over starboard horizon. Gumprich increased speed and turned onto a converging course towards the British freighter ''Wellpark'' (4,470 GRT), carrying military equipment from St John's to Alexandria. The crew of ''Wellpark'' were unawares until {{nowrap, 1:00 p.m. when ''Thor'' drew nearer. The captain ordered a close watch to be kept on the ship as it converged and tried to identify it. Just after {{nowrap, 3:00 p.m. the Arado took off and on ''Wellpark'' the captain ordered the anti-aircraft gunners to action stations on the 12-pounder gun. The captain of ''Wellpark'' saw an Arado Ar 196 A-1 trailing a wire with hooks and the pilot opened fire with its two 20 mm cannon, the ''Wellpark'' gunners replying. After hitting the bridge, the Arado dragged its line across the aerial mast taking away the aerial. The Arado crew and the ship gunners continued to exchang fire until ''Thor'' came close enough to use its guns, penetrating ''Wellpark'' just above the waterline and near the boiler room. ''Wellpark'' came to a stop after fifteen minutes, seven men having been killed; once the 41 survivors were taken prisoner, the ship was sunk by gunfire.{{sfnm, 1a1=Duffy, 1y=2001, 1pp=96–97, 2a1=Woodman, 2y=2005, 2pp=470−471
{{clear

April 1942

On 1 April ''Thor'' intercepted the British 4,565 GRT ''Willesden'' about {{cvt, 475, nmi west south-west of St Helena from New York bound for Alexandria. Gumprich stalked the ship for twelve hour and then the Arado demolished the wireless aerials with its grapnel and dropped two bombs. The gunners on ''Thor'' fired 128 shells that set fire to the deck cargo of oil drums and destroying the bridge. ''Willesden'' returned fire but managed only six shells; with one dead and six wounded (four mortally) the ship was abandoned and 42 of the crew were taken prisoner. ''Thor'' sank the ship with a torpedo. On 3 April the Norwegian freighter ''Aust'' (5,630 GRT) fell victim to the same tactics and was unable to send a wireless signal before being hit by gunfire and brought to a stop by the crew who abandoned the vessel. A boarding party inspected the ship and sank it by demolition charge, the crew becoming prisoner.{{sfnm, 1a1=Woodman, 1y=2005, 1p=471, 2a1=Duffy, 2y=2001, 2p=98 From 23 March to 9 April, ''Thor'' sank five ships of 23,623 GRT).{{sfn, Rohwer, Hümmelchen, 2005, p=154

On 10 April ''Thor'' detected the 4,840 GRT British tramp steamer ''Kirkpool'', bound for Montevideo from Durban, on radar, the first to be installed on a commerce raider. Having followed the ship all day in poor visibility, with night falling, Gumprich closed in and opened fire with its {{convert, 15, cm, 2, abbr=on guns. The second salvo obtained three hits and set ''Kirkpool's'' bridge and wheelhouse on fire. With the helm unattended, the ship veered, in what from ''Thor'' looked like a ramming attempt. With the ship on fire, the captain ordered the crew to abandon ship and ''Kirkpool'' sank as the crew jumped overboard; sixteen men were lost and ''Thor'' lingered for three hours looking for survivors, helped by the red lights on new life jackets being issued to British merchant ships; 30 men were rescued, including ''Kirkpool''{{'s captain, chief engineer and first officer. The ship was sunk with a torpedo. Soon afterwards, ''Thor'' was ordered into the Indian Ocean by SKL with a warning to be aware of Japanese submarines operating in the area. SKL hoped that the raider could continue its run of success that in under a month attacks had been near the Cape of Good Hope, in shipping lanes; five ships had been sunk for a total of 23,176 GRT.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=98–99

May 1942

On 10 May the Arado sighted a ship but uncertain of its identity, took photographs, because ''Thor'' was due to meet a tanker and ''Michel'', another raider was operating in the area. The photographs were inconclusive and the Arado was sent back. The new photographs still precluded identification and Gumprich decided not to attack. Soon after this sighting ''Thor'' received orders to move into the Indian Ocean, having sunk five ships of 23,176 GRT in a month. On 22 April, ''Thor'' entered the Indian Ocean, naval headquarters having arranged a hunting ground in the south-easst Indian Ocean for ''Thor'' with the Japanese to keep away from Japanese submarines off the east African coast. Sailing eastwards, ''Thor'' had no sightings until 4 May but this was the supply ship {{MV, Regensburg that transferred supplies and took on 162 prisoners.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=99

On 10 May, the Arado crew spotted a big ship {{cvt, 1500, nmi of the west of Australia, that was the 7,130 GRT Australian liner ''Nankin'', en route to Bombay with 350 passengers and crew. The Arado was spotted and the crew began practising lifeboat drills. At {{nowrap, 2, 35 p.m. the Arado was spotted again on the port side and Captain Stratford ordered a turn to starboard to avoid a torpedo attack. ''Thor'' was on the starboard side of the ship The Arado strafed ''Nankin'' as it overflew with its grappling line out but missed the wireless aerial. Stratford ordered best speed to try to outrun the ship and had the crew prepare to scuttle ''Nankin'' in case the other ship was faster. The Arado came round for another strafing and grappling run and was met by return fire from the ship's machine-gun and small-arms fire from the passengers (23 were army and navy personnel and armed) and crew.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=100

The wireless officer was sending continuous distress signals that ''Thor'' found difficult to jam, because the operator on ''Nankin'' kept changing frequency. At {{nowrap, 2:38 p.m. ''Thor'' came into range and from {{cvt, 13000, yd ''Thor'' opened fire with three its {{cvt, 15, cm, in, 2, abbr=on guns that fell short. The stern gun of ''Nankin'' returned fire during a stern chase and neither side managed a hit for 22 minutes, both crews over-firing their boilers for maximum speed as the Arado kept trying to bring down the aerial and the armed personnel on ''Nankin'' tried to shoot it down. At {{nowrap, 3:00 p.m. ''Thor'' managed to hit ''Nankin'' several times and blew a hole in the hull.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=100 Stratford realised that this was the end, ordered cease fire and sounded the abandon ship alarm. The last wireless signal was,

{{blockquote, Nankin abandoning ship Latitude 26 degrees 43' South, 89 degrees 47' East.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=100

The crew dropped the confidential books and records over the side in a perforated box and tried to scuttle ''Nankin''. ''Thor'' rescued the crew and passengers from their lifeboats. A prize crew boarded ''Nankin'' and managed to repair the ship's engines that the attempt to scuttle had not severely damaged. The hole in ''Nankin'' was repaired and frozen food, wool and wireless equipment taken aboard ''Thor'', some of which were put aboard ''Regensburg'' when it arrived, along with the prisoners.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=101 The supply ship and ''Nankin'' (now ''Leuthen'') sailed to Japanese-held ports. ''Nankin'' was carrying secret papers from the New Zealand Combined Intelligence Centre in Wellington to the C-in-C, Eastern Fleet in Colombo.{{sfn, Elphick, 1998, p=262 This information, revealed that the Allies were reading some Japanese radio codes but its transfer to Japan was delayed until the beginning of July.{{sfn, Rahn, 2001, p=430

June 1942

There were no encounters for a month and then on 14 June ''Thor'' got a radar contact at about {{cvt, 10000, yd and on a converging course, was able to approach to within {{cvt, 1800, yd, ''Thor'' attacked what turned out to be the 6,310 GRT Dutch Shell tanker ''Olivia''. It was too dark for the Arado and Gumprich tried to put the wireless transmitter out of action with gunfire but the bombardment killed most of the crew and turned the ship into "a floating wall of flame". The steering was damaged and the ship began to circle. The third officer, three Dutch and eight Chinese crewmen were able to lower a boat but searchers from ''Thor'' was able to find only one man, J. D. Fischer, in the water. The lifeboat drifted for weeks before the boat capsized in the breakers off Madagascar; one Dutch and seven Chinese mariners died before reaching land on 13 July.{{sfnm, 1a1=Rohwer, 1a2=Hümmelchen, 1y=2005, 1p=174, 2a1=Duffy, 2y=2001, 2p=101 On 19 June, ''Thor'' intercepted the Norwegian oil tanker ''Herborg'' (7,894 GRT). The Arado disabled the wireless aerial as warning shots from ''Thor'' brought ''Herborg'' to a stop. ''Herborg'' had only one 3-inch gun and was no match for the raider. The captain ordered the ship stopped and the crew to abandon ship. The crew was taken aboard ''Thor'', and a prize crew took the renamed ''Hohenfriedburg'' to Japan, arriving on 7 July. On 4 July ''Thor'' stopped another Norwegian oil tanker, the 5,895 GRT ''Madrono'', in the same manner as ''Herborg''. The renamed ''Rossbach'' was taken to Japan by a prize crew, arriving on 5 August. .{{sfn, Rohwer, Hümmelchen, 2005, p=174{{efn, ''Rossbach'' was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine {{USS, Burrfish, SS-312, 6, at 33°14′N, 134°40′E in the Kii Channel, Japan, in May 1944.{{sfn, Jordan, 2006, p=562

On 20 July, the British reefer ship ''Indus'' was attacked and Capain Bryan ordered that the ship be turned away from ''Thor'' at full speed, firing its stern gun. At {{nowrap, 3:00 p.m. after firing two rounds, the stern gun was hit by a shell from ''Thor'', killing the chief gunner and destroying the gun.{{sfn, Rohwer, Hümmelchen, 2005, p=181 The wireless operator on ''Indus'' sent distress signals, that were replied to by shore stations until another shell from ''Thor'' hit the bridge, set it ablaze, killed him and knocking out the wireless. Most of the crew came on deck, only to be killed in the shell explosions. When the ship slowed and the wireless stopped transmitting, Gumbrich ceased fire. ''Indus'' was burning so badly that a party was not put aboard; 49 survivors were rescued but about half of the crew had been killed by the bombardment and the fire. ''Thor'' transferred its prisoners to the blockade runner ''Tannenfels'' and made for the Port of Yokohama in Japan, ''via'' Batavia (now Jakarta) in the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies.{{sfn, Jackson, 2000, pp=77, 71

Yokohama

{{main, Port of Yokohama

''Thor'' reached Yokohama on 9 October 1942 and Gumbrich made energetic representations to the Japanese authorities to work quickly on a refit. Much of the refit was complete when on 30 November, when the tanker {{ship, German tanker, Uckermark, , 2 entered harbour and docked next to ''Thor''. At about {{nowrap, 2:00 p.m. an explosion within ''Uckermark'' was heard, soon followed by more explosions. The third explosion was so big that the bridge was blown into the air and landed on ''Thor'', spreading the fire as crewmen leapt overboard and swam away from the fire spreading on the water.

''Nankin/Leuthen'' and the Japanese freighter, ''Unkai Maru'' 3, also caught fire. Gumprich was in a motorboat and rescued as many men as possible until forced to retreat before the flames. The four ships were destroyed in the fire and thirteen ''Thor'' crewmen were killed, 53 crew of ''Uckermarck'' were killed, along with an unknown number of Chinese and Japanese dockworkers. On its second cruise, ''Thor'' sank or took as prize, ten ships of 55,587 GRT during a voyage of 328 days; the total for both cruises was 22 ships of 152,134 GRT.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=103

Voyage of MV ''Michel''

The captain of ''Michel'', {{lang, de, Kapitän zur See Helmuth von Ruckteschell had asked to be relieved due to ill health and on 1 May 1943, ''Michel'' sailed for the Indian Ocean on its second raiding voyage, with Gumbrich as captain. The crew was a composite of survivors from ''Thor'' and the crew of ''Michel'' that Gumbrich drilled daily to integrate his survivors with the crew of ''Michel''.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=178–179{{efn, In its first voyage of 358 days, ''Michel'' had sunk fifteen ships for a total of 99,386 GRT.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=178 On 14 June 1943, the 7,715 GRT {{MV, Hoegh Silverdawn was spotted by the Arado and caught up by ''Michel'' late in the evening and in 45 minutes was sunk at 25°40′S, 92°E, 36 passengers and crew were killed and 22 survived, three having got away on a raft and being picked up by a US merchant ship after a week. Captain E. Waaler, in a lifeboat with another 21 people, survived for a journey of 31 days and {{cvt, 2860, nmi to make landfall in India, two survivors having died during the voyage.{{sfnm, 1a1=Jordan, 1y=2006, 1pp=311, 560, 2a1=Duffy, 2y=2001, 2pp=179–180

On 17 June, {{MV, Ferncastle, a 9,940 GRT tanker was quickly sunk by four torpedoes at 25°S, 97°E. Eighteen men were killed and nineteen survivors were rescued from the crew of thirty-seven. some of the crew managed to escape and were rescued by a ship.{{sfnm, 1a1=Jordan, 1y=2006, 1pp=306, 559, 2a1=Duffy, 2y=2001, 2pp=179–180 The next three months were uneventful apart from a near miss with a US cruiser. Gumprich sailed into the Pacific assuming that the escapees would have alerted the Allies. ''Michel'' was limited to the fuel it carried because all of the German supply
tankers had been sunk and the Japanese were too hard pressed to help. He would soon have to give up the cruise and head back to Japan. ''Michel'' was in the vicinity of Easter Island on 10 September when the tanker {{MV, India (9,977 GRT) was spotted in the afternoon. ''Michel'' hung back until dark and attacked without warning. Almost immediately the ship burst into flames so hot that boats from ''Michel'' could not approach to search for survivors and the 38 members of the crew were killed.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=180

During the night of 29/30 September, ''Michel'' was suddenly surrounded by ships. Gumprich gradually extricated the ship from the convoy, having been deterred from making an attack by nearby destroyers.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=180{{efn, ''Michel'' might have blundered into a US Navy Task Force.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=180 While heading for Tokyo Bay, on the night of 16 October in bright moonlight, in a calm sea, ''Michel'' was spotted by the submarine {{USS, Tarpon, SS-175, 6. Commander Thomas L. Wogan, mistook the ship for a Japanese freighter and just past midnight, fired four torpedoes and two hit. Hundreds of men, including all the Norwegian prisoners, were killed in the first minutes as water flooded the hull. Watertight doors were closed and ''Michel'' began firing all round, not being able to see the attacker. Several more torpedoes were fired, one hit the stern and another hit the site of the first torpedo impact. ''Michel'', listing to port, began to sink by the stern.{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=180–181

Gumprich gave the order to abandon ship and he was seen on the bridge, directing the evacuation of the wounded. Some survivors reached the shore and several were picked up by passing Japanese boats but the Japanese Navy did little to help; fifteen officers and 248 crew were killed. Only after the war did the Allies discover that the ship was ''Michel'', the last of the German commerce raiders.{{sfnm, 1a1=Jordan, 1y=2006, 1p=477, 2a1=Rohwer, 2a2=Hümmelchen, 2y=2005, 2p=216, 3a1=Duffy, 3y=2001, 3pp=180–181 Some survivors of the ship were sent to France on the blockade runner {{ship, German ship, Doggerbank, , 2 and killed when the ship was mistakenly sunk by {{GS, U-43, 1939, 2 on 3 March 1943, {{cvt, 1000, nmi west of the Canary Islands, only one of the 365 crew survived.{{sfn, Woodman, 2005, p=469{{efn, Fritz Kürt was rescued by the Spanish tanker {{MV, Campoamor; Kürt was the last man of fifteen who had survived the sinking of ''Doggerbank'' and got on board a Japanese life raft.{{sfn, Brice, 1981, p=119

Aftermath

Analysis

In eleven long voyages from April 1940 to October 1943, nine auxiliary cruisers sank or took as prizes, 138 ships of 857,533 GRT. Twenty-three of the prizes of 128,550 GRT reached Axis ports in France or Japan. The light cruiser {{HMAS, Sydney, D48, 6 was sunk and many merchant ships had been damaged by mines. The great success (650,000 GRT) achieved until the end of 1941, surprised the SKL and was almost double that of warships in the Atlantic. The weakness of the ''Kriegsmarine'' meant that auxiliary cruisers were an efficient alternative but after their success in the First World War, greater use could have been made of them.{{sfn, Rahn, 2001, p=431

War record

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Career of {{lang, de, Thor/Schiff 10/Raider E{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=207, Appendix D
! scope="col" width="20px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Sunk
! scope="col" width="20px" , Prize
! scope="col" width="30px" , GRT
! scope="col" width="60px" , Cruises
! scope="col" width="20px" , Fate
! , Notes
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Thor, , 2
, align="center", 18
, align="center", 4
, align="right", 152,134
, align="left", 2/653 days
, align="left", Fire
, align="left", Destroyed in Yokohama Port after tanker {{ship, German tanker, Uckermark, , 2 caught fire
, -

Ships sunk or taken as prizes

First voyage

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Merchant ships sunk on first voyage{{sfn, Jordan, 2006, pp=5, 87, 124, 155, 166, 177, 178, 189, 197, 280, 293, 313, 322, 363, 365, 443, 489, 494, 497, 500, 501, 505, 515, 516, 527, 553, 552, 557, 561, 573
! scope="col" width="100px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Year
! scope="col" width="110px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="30px" , GRT
! scope="col" width="100px" , Date
! scope="col" width="90px" , Position
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Delambre
, align="left", 1917
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 7,032
, align="right", 7 July 1940
, align="left", 04°W, 26°W
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Bruges
, align="left", 1904
, align="left", {{flag, Belgium, civil
, align="right", 4,983
, align="right", 9 July 1940
, align="left", 10°59′N, 23°54′W
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Gracefield
, align="left", 1928
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 4,613
, align="right", 14 July 1940
, align="left", 13°S, 31°W
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Wendover
, align="left", 1928
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 5,489
, align="right", 16 July 1940
, align="left", 23°S, 35°W
, align="left", 4† 37 pow
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Tela
, align="left", 1911
, align="left", {{flag, Netherlands, civil
, align="right", 3,777
, align="right", 17 July 1940
, align="left", 12°S, 33°W
, align="left", 33 pow
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Kosmos
, align="left", 1929
, align="left", {{flag, Norway, civil
, align="right", 17,801
, align="right", 26 September 1940
, align="left", 00°26′S, 32°01′W
, align="left", Whaling factory ship
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Natia
, align="left", 1920
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 8,715
, align="right", 8 October 1940
, align="left", 00°50′N, 32°34′W
, align="left", Reefer 2† , 84 pow
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Britannia, 1925, 6
, align="left", 1926
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 6,800
, align="right", 25 Mar 1941
, align="left", 07°24′N, 34°03′W
, align="left", Troopship, 249† , 233 survivors
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Trolleholm
, align="left", 1922
, align="left", {{flag, Sweden, civil
, align="right", 5,047
, align="right", 25 March 1941
, align="left", —
, align="left", 0†
, -

Warships

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Sunk on first voyage{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=91–93
! scope="col" width="70px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Year
! scope="col" width="90px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="120px" , Type
! scope="col" width="60px" , Date
! scope="col" width="90px" , Position
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{HMS, Voltaire, 1923, 6
, align="left", 1923
, align="left", {{navy, UKGBI
, align="right", Armed merchant cruiser
, align="left", 2 April 1941
, align="left", 14°30′N, 40°30′W
, align="left", 75†, 197 survivors
, -

First voyage prizes

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +First voyage{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=81, 128, 289, 311, 321, 330, 505, 551, 552, 560, 562
! scope="col" width="80px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Year
! scope="col" width="90px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="30px" , GRT
! scope="col" width="70px" , Date
! scope="col" width="90px" , Position
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Kertosono
, align="left", 1918
, align="left", {{flag, Netherlands, civil
, align="right", 9,289
, align="right", 1 July 1940
, align="left", 12°40′N, 31°22′W
, align="left", Prize, to Lorient, arr. 12 July
, -

Second voyage

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Merchant ships sunk on second voyage{{sfn, Jordan, 2006, pp=5, 87, 124, 155, 166, 177, 178, 189, 197, 280, 293, 313, 322, 363, 365, 443, 489, 494, 497, 500, 501, 505, 515, 516, 527, 553, 552, 557, 561, 573
! scope="col" width="110px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Year
! scope="col" width="110px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="30px" , GRT
! scope="col" width="80px" , Date
! scope="col" width="90px" , Positionn
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Sir Ernest Cassel
, align="left", 1910
, align="left", {{flag, Sweden, civil
, align="right", 7,739
, align="right", 16 April 1941
, align="left", 32N, 35W
, align="left", 0†
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Pagasitikos
, align="left", 1914
, align="left", {{flag, Greece, civil
, align="right", 3,942
, align="right", 23 March 1942
, align="left", 31°S, 11°35′W
, align="left", †0
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Wellpark
, align="left", 1938
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 4,649
, align="right", 28 March 1942
, align="left", 25°S, 10°W
, align="left", 7† , 41 pow
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Willesden
, align="left", 1925
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 4,563
, align="right", 1 Apr 1942
, align="left", 16°00′S, 16°00′W
, align="left", 5† , 42 pow
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Aust
, align="left", 1920
, align="left", {{flag, Norway, civil
, align="right", 5,626
, align="right", 3 Apr 1942
, align="left", 20°S, 16°W
, align="left", ''Thor'', scuttled, all pow{{efn, ''Aust'' was attacked by the aircraft carried by ''Thor''.{{sfn, Jordan, 2006, p=557
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Kirkpool
, align="left", 1928
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 4,842
, align="right", 10 Apr 1942
, align="left", 33°S, 07°W
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Olivia
, align="left", 1939
, align="left", {{flag, Netherlands, civil
, align="right", 6,307
, align="right", 14 Jun 1942
, align="left", 26°S, 77°E
, align="left", 42†, 6 survivors
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Indus
, align="left", 1940
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 5,187
, align="right", 20 July 1942
, align="left", 26°44′E, 82°50′E
, align="left", 23†
, -

Second voyage prizes

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Second voyage{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, pp=81, 128, 289, 311, 321, 330, 505, 551, 552, 560, 562
! scope="col" width="80px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Year
! scope="col" width="90px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="30px" , GRT
! scope="col" width="70px" , Date
! scope="col" width="90px" , Position
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Nankin
, align="left", 1912
, align="left", {{flag, Australia, civil
, align="right", 7,131
, align="right", 10 May 1942
, align="left", 26°43′S,89°56′E
, align="left", Re-named ''Leuthen'', to Yokohama
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Herborg
, align="left", 1931
, align="left", {{flag, Norway, civil
, align="right", 7,892
, align="right", 19 June 1942
, align="left", 28°S, 19°E
, align="left", Tanker, re-named ''Hohenfriedburg'', to Yokohama
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Madrono
, align="left", 1917
, align="left", {{flag, Norway, civil
, align="right", 5,894
, align="right", 4 August 1942
, align="left", 29°50′S, 70°E
, align="left", Tanker, re-named ''Rossbach'', to Japan
, -

Second voyage of ''Michel''

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Ships sunk on second voyage{{sfn, Jordan, 2006, pp=306, 311, 559, 560
! scope="col" width="120px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Year
! scope="col" width="110px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="30px" , GRT
! scope="col" width="100px" , Date
! scope="col" width="90px" , Position
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Hoegh Silverdawn
, align="left", 1940
, align="left", {{flag, Norway, civil
, align="right", 7,715
, align="right", 15 June 1943
, align="left", 25°40′S, 92°E
, align="left", General cargo, 36†, 22 saved
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Ferncastle
, align="left", 1936
, align="left", {{naval, UKGBNI, naval-merchant
, align="right", 9,940
, align="right", 17 June 1943
, align="left", 25°S, 97°E
, align="left", Tanker, 18†, 19 saved
, -
, align="left", {{MV, India
, align="left", 1939
, align="left", {{flag, Norway, civil
, align="right", 9,977
, align="right", 11 September 1943
, align="left",
, align="left", Tanker, all 41†
, -

Supply ships

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Ships supplying ''Thor''{{sfnm, 1a1=Roskill, 1y=1957, 1pp=606–607, 2a1=Jordan, 2y=2006, 2pp=57, 64, 66, 68, 76, 80, 297, 339
! scope="col" width="80px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="20px" , Year
! scope="col" width="100px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="20px" , GRT
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Alsterufer
, align="left", 1939
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 2,729
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Eurofeld
, align="left", 1917
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 5,863
, align="left", Tanker
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Ill
, align="left", 1928
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 7,603
, align="left", Tanker, ex-Norwegian ''Turicum''
, -
, align="left", {{SS, Nordmark
, align="left", 1930
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 7,750
, align="left", Ex ''Westerwald''
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Regensburg
, align="left", 1927
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 8,063
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Rio Grande
, align="left", 1939
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 6,062
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Spichern{{sfn, Brice, 1981, p=83
, align="left", 1935
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 9,323
, align="left", Tanker, ex-Norwegian ''Krossfonn''
, -
, align="left", {{MV, Tannenfels
, align="left", 1938
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="right", 7,840
, align="left",
, -

German commerce raiders

{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Commerce raiders{{sfn, Duffy, 2001, p=201, Appendix A
! scope="col" width="60px" , Ship
! scope="col" width="100px" , Flag
! scope="col" width="60px" , Original name
! scope="col" width="10px" , ''Schiff'' No.
! scope="col" width="10px" , Raider
! Notes
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Atlantis, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Goldenfels''
, align="center", 16
, align="center", C
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Komet, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Ems''
, align="center", 45
, align="center", B
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Kormoran, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Steiermark''
, align="center", 41
, align="center", G
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Michel, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Bielskoi''
, align="center", 28
, align="center", H
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Orion, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Kurmark''
, align="center", 36
, align="center", A
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Pinguin, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Kandelfels''
, align="center", 33
, align="center", F
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Stier, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Cairo''
, align="center", 23
, align="center", J
, align="left",
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Thor, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Santa Cruz''
, align="center", 10
, align="center", E
, align="left", Destroyed by fire in Yokohama harbour
, -
, align="left", {{ship, German auxiliary cruiser, Widder, , 2
, align="left", {{navy, Nazi Germany
, align="left", ''Neumark''
, align="center", 21
, align="center", D
, align="left",
, -

Notes

{{notelist

Footnotes

{{Reflist, 20em

Bibliography

{{refbegin
* {{cite book , last=Beesly , first=Patrick , title=Very Special Intelligence: The Story of the Admiralty's Operational Intelligence Centre 1939–1945 , year=2015 , orig-year=1977 , publisher=Hamish Hamilton , location=London , edition=Frontline Books (Pen & Sword) Barnsley , isbn=978-1-78-438156-1
* {{cite book , last1=Boog , first1=H. , last2=Rahn , first2=W. , last3=Stumpf , first3=R. , last4=Wegner , first4=B. , translator1-last=Osers , translator1-first=E. , translator2-last=Brownjohn , translator2-first=J. , translator3-last=Crampton , translator3-first=P. , translator4-last=Willmot , translator4-first=L. , series=Germany in the Second World War , title=The Global War: Widening of the Conflict into a World War and the Shift of the Initiative 1941–1943 , year=2001 , volume=VI , publisher=Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Research Institute for Military History) , location=Potsdam , edition=Eng trans. Oxford University Press, London , isbn=0-19-822888-0
** {{harvc , last=Rahn , first=W. , c=Part III The War at Sea in the Atlantic and in the Arctic Ocean. iii. The Conduct of the War in the Atlantic and the Coastal Area 2. Operations by Surface Forces (d) The Trade War with Auxiliary Cruisers , year=2001 , in1=Boog , in2=Rahn , in3=Stumpf , in4=Wegner
* {{cite book , last=Brice , first=Martin , title=Axis Blockade Runners of World War II , year=1981 , publisher=B. T. Batsford , location=London , isbn=0-7134-2686-1
* {{ cite book , last=Brown , first=David , title=Warship Losses of World War Two , year=1995 , orig-year=1990 , publisher=Arms and Armour Press , location=London , edition=pbk. repr. , isbn=0-85409-278-1
* {{cite book , last=Budiansky , first=S. , title=Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II , year=2000 , publisher=The Free Press (Simon & Schuster) , location=New York , isbn=0-684-85932-7 , url-access=registration , url=https://archive.org/details/battleofwitscomp00budi , via=Archive Foundation
* {{cite book , last=Duffy , first=James P. , title=Hitler's secret Pirate Fleet: The Deadliest ships of World War II , year=2001 , publisher=Praeger , location=Westport, CN , edition=1st , isbn=0-275-96685-2
* {{cite book , last=Elphick , first=Peter , title=Far Eastern File: The Intelligence War in the Far East 1930–1945 , orig-year=1997 , year=1998 , publisher=Hodder & Stoughton , location=London , isbn=0-340-66584-X
* {{cite book , last=Hampshire , first=A. Cecil , year=1980 , title=The Blockaders , location=London , publisher=William Kimber , isbn=0-7183-0227-3
* {{cite book , last1=Jackson , first1=Robert , title=Kriegsmarine: the Illustrated History of the German Navy in World War II , year=2000 , publisher=MBI Publishing , location= , isbn=978-0-76-031026-7
* {{cite book , last=Jordan , first=Roger W. , title=The World's Merchant Fleets 1939: The Particulars and Wartime Fates of 6,000 Ships , year=2006 , orig-year=1999 , publisher=Chatham/Lionel Leventhal , location=London , edition=2nd , isbn=978-1-86176-293-1
* {{cite book , last=Kahn , first=D. , title=The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing , year=1973 , orig-year=1967 , publisher=Macmillan , location=New York , edition=10th abr. Signet, Chicago , oclc=78083316 , lccn=63-16109
* {{cite book , last1=Maier , first1=Klaus A. , last2=Rohde , first2=Horst , last3=Stegemann , first3=Bernd , last4=Umbreit , first4=Hans , title=Germany and the Second World War: Germany's Initial Conquests in Europe , year=2015 , orig-year=1991 , publisher=Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt esearch Institute for Military History, editor-last=Falla , editor-first=P. S. , edition=trans. pbk. Clarendon Press, Oxford , volume=II , location=Freiburg im Breisgau , language=en , translator-last=McMurry , translator-first=Dean S. , translator-last2=Osers , translator-first2=Ewald , isbn=978-0-19-873834-3
** {{harvc , last=Stegemann , first=Bernd , c=Part VIII The Second Phase of the War at Sea (until the Spring of 1941) , year=2015 , in1=Maier , in2=Rohde , in3=Stegemann , in4=Umbreit
* {{cite book , last=Poolman , first=E. , title=Armed Merchant Cruisers: Their Epic Story , year=1985 , publisher=Leo Cooper–Secker & Warburg , location=London , isbn=0-436-37706-3
* {{cite book , first1=Jürgen , last1=Rohwer , first2=Gerhard , last2=Hümmelchen , title=Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two , year=2005 , orig-year=1972 , publisher=Chatham , location=London , edition=3rd rev. , isbn=978-1-86176-257-3
* {{cite book , series=History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series , title=The War at Sea 1939–1945: The Defensive , volume=I , last=Roskill , first=S. W. , author-link=Stephen Roskill , editor-last=Butler , editor-first=J. R. M. , editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler , year=1957 , orig-year=1954 , publisher=HMSO , location=London , edition=4th impr. , url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RN-I/index.html , access-date=7 February 2016 , oclc=881709135
* {{cite book , last=Woodman , first=Richard , title=The Real Cruel Sea: The Merchant Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic 1939–1943 , year=2005 , orig-year=2004 , publisher=John Murray , location=London , isbn=0-7195-6599-5
{{refend

External links

German newsreel Hilfskreuzer ''Thor''
{{in lang, de

{{German auxiliary cruiser
{{November 1942 shipwrecks

{{coord, 35, 23, 50, N, 139, 38, 50, E, display=title

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thor
1938 ships
Auxiliary cruisers of the Kriegsmarine
Germany–Japan relations
Maritime incidents in November 1942
Ships built in Hamburg
Ship fires
World War II commerce raiders
World War II cruisers of Germany
World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean