German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin

Pinguin in the Indian Ocean in 1941.
History
Germany
Name	Kandelfels
Owner	DDG Hansa
Builder	Deutsche Schiff-und Maschinebau A.G. Werk A.G. 'Weser' (Deschimag)
Launched	12 November 1936
Completed	1937
Renamed	Schiff 33/HSK-5
Fate	Requisitioned by Kriegsmarine , 1939
Nazi Germany
Name	Pinguin
Namesake	Penguin
Builder	Deschimag A.G. Weser, Bremen
Yard number	5
Acquired	1939
Recommissioned	6 February 1940
Reclassified	Auxiliary cruiser, 1940
Nickname(s)	HSK-5 Schiff 33 Raider F
Fate	Sunk in the Indian Ocean by HMS Cornwall, 8 May 1941
General characteristics
Displacement	17,600 long tons (17,900 t)
Length	155 m (509 ft)
Beam	18.7 m (61 ft)
Draft	8.7 m (29 ft)
Installed power	7,600 hp (5,700 kW)
Propulsion	2 × 6-cylinder diesel engines
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Range	60,000 nmi (110,000 km; 69,000 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance	207 days
Complement	401
Armament	6 × 15 cm SK L/45 guns 1 × 75 mm (3.0 in) gun 1 × twin 3.7 cm SK C/30 anti-aircraft guns 2 × twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 2 × torpedo tubes 300 × mines
Aircraft carried	2 × Heinkel He 114 B early 1 × Arado Ar 196 A-1 later

Pinguin was a German auxiliary cruiser (Hilfskreuzer) which served as a commerce raider in the Second World War. The Pinguin was known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 33, and designated HSK 5. The most successful commerce raider of the war, she was known to the British Royal Navy as Raider F. The name Pinguin means penguin in German.

Background

German commerce raiding

At first the Kriegsmarine had no plans to use commerce raiders, despite their use in the First World War and interwar thought about their use. Armed merchant cruisers of the type used by the British were too big, too hard to disguise and keep supplied with fuel. Ordinary merchant ships were a better prospect, especially those with a long range and were easier to alter to look like neutral and Allied ships to deceive their targets and Allied warships. Planning began soon after the declarations of war and by the end of September a first wave of six ships had been identified. ^[1]

Each ship would need a crew of 284 men, six 150 mm guns, four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, four torpedo tubes, provision for 400 mines and two seaplanes. The ships needed to be at sea for a year, cruising for 40,000 nmi (74,000 km; 46,000 mi). The first raider was to sail in November 1939 but it took until 31 March 1940 before the first raider 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 494,291 gross register tons (GRT). ^[1]

Kandelfels

Formerly a freighter named Kandelfels, she was completed by AG Weser in 1937 and was owned and operated by the Hansa Line, Bremen. ^[2] The ship was of gross register tonnage (7,766 GRT) was 508 ft 6 in (154.99 m) long, 61 ft 4 in (18.69 m) in the beam with a draught of 27 ft 4 in (8.33 m) and a speed of 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph). ^[2] In the winter of 1939–1940, she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and converted to a warship by DeSchiMAG, Bremen. Her main armament of six 5.9-inch guns was taken from the obsolete battleship Schlesien and covered by steel shutters fitted with counterweights. ^[3] The secondary armament consisted of a 75 mm gun, a twin 37 mm anti-aircraft gun and two twin 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. In the holds were 300 mines and two Heinkel He 114 floatplanes. ^[4]

Prelude

North Sea

Pinguin ( Fregattenkapitän (later Kapitän zur See , Ernst-Felix Krüder) was one of the first wave of raiders sent out by the Kriegsmarine, sailing from Gotenhafen on 15 June 1940 to operate in the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean. ^[5] Arriving off the Danish Lollard on 17 June and met Sperrbrecher IV, a type with a specially-armoured hull designed to set off mines and two torpedo boat escorts. At the Kattegat Sperrbrecher IV departed and with two minesweepers, the ships entered the North Sea with an escort of a Dornier 18 flying boat and two fighter aircraft. Off Bergen in Norway the torpedo boats departed and Pinguin with the minesweepers put in to Sørgulen Fjord. The crew disguised Pinguin as the Soviet Petschura and then sailed for the North Cape in a severe storm. A British submarine surfaced and demanded that the ship identify itself but Krüder ignored them and sailed on; the submarine fired three torpedoes but they missed and Pinguin escaped. ^[6]

Atlantic Ocean

Photograph of a He 114 floatplane

Krüder headed for Jan Mayen, intending to wait for poor weather in the Denmark Strait before attempting to break out into the Atlantic for a rendezvous with U-A near the Cape Verde islands. The plan was assisted by the British diversion of ships from the Northern Patrol to take part in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk evacuation which left the Denmark Strait unguarded. The ship reached Jan Mayen on 24 June but the expected fog had not formed. When the ship reached Greenland the fog returned and then the ship waited for three days for bad weather. ^[6]

The ship entered the Atlantic on 1 July. After sailing past the Azores, the ship changed disguise to the Greek Kassos. On 17 July the rendezvous with U-A took place off the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago and eleven torpedoes were transferred to the U-boat. To conserve fuel U-A was taken in tow, towards Africa until close to Freetown but machinery trouble forced U-A to return to Germany, sinking four merchant ships en route with the torpedoes from Pinguin. ^[6]

Operations

South Atlantic

On 31 July, near Ascension Island about 1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) off west Africa, a ship was sighted at about 9:00 a.m. in clear weather. each other The ship was the British 5,538 GRT SS Domingo de Larrinaga which turned away, transmitted an unknown attacker alert in Morse, "QQQQ" [– – • –] × 4, prepared the stern gun for action and raised the flag. Krüder give chase, trying to jam the wireless calls from the ship and gradually overhauled it, opening fire at a range of 2 nmi (3.7 km; 2.3 mi). Several hits on Domingo de Larrinaga started a fire near the bridge and killed four men; 32 members of the crew took to three lifeboats. The ship was boarded and then sunk by torpedo after a scuttling charge failed to explode. ^[7]

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean

Pinguin continued south and on 19 August passed the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean. On 26 August, off the coast of Madagascar, Krüder sent one of the Heinkel He 114B seaplanes, carrying British markings, to reconnoitre for ships. At 12:50 p.m. the Norwegian tanker MV Filefjell (6,901 GRT) carrying 10,000 long tons (10,000 t) of petrol and 500 long tons (510 t) of oil for Cape Town was seen. The pilot dropped a message purportedly from a British officer, that a German raider was in the area and ordered the ship to alter course and keep radio silence. The tanker followed the instructions, unknowingly heading for Pinguin140 nmi (260 km; 160 mi) away. ^[7]

Action of 8 May 1941

Main article: Action of 8 May 1941

Pinguin was sunk on 8 May 1941 by the British heavy cruiser HMS Cornwall. She was the first auxiliary cruiser of the Kriegsmarine to suffer this fate. Pinguin exploded when the mines stored on board were hit and detonated; 332 members of the crew and about 200 of the prisoners were killed. Cornwall rescued 60 crew members and 22 prisoners who had been taken from the 28 merchant ships the raider had either sunk or captured.

Freighters attacked by Pinguin

Merchant ships sunk or taken as prizes by Pinguin ^[8]

Name	Flag	GRT	Type	Notes
Domingo de Larrinaga	United Kingdom	5,358	Freighter	31 July 1940, 05°26'S, 18°06'W, torpedoed, 8† 30  ( POW )
MV Filefjell	Norway	6,901	Tanker	27 August 1940, sunk 34°S, 51°E, 32  ( POW )
British Commander	United Kingdom	5,008	Tanker	27 August 1940, torpedoed 29°37'S, 45°50'E, 46  ( POW )
Morviken	Norway	7,616	Freighter	27 August 1940, 29°S, 51°E, scuttled
Benavon	United Kingdom	5,872	Freighter	12 September 1940, gunfire, 21†
Nordvard	Norway	4,111	Freighter	16 September 1940, 30°S, 60°E, 200  ( POW ) to Bordeaux
SS Storstad	Norway	8,998	Tanker	7 October 1940, prize. [a]
Nowshera	United Kingdom	7,920	Freighter	19 November 1940, 30°S, 90°E, scuttled, 113  ( POW )
Maimoa	United Kingdom	10,123	Freighter	20 November 1940, 31°50'S, 100°21'E, scuttled, 87  ( POW )
Port Brisbane	United Kingdom	8,739	Freighter	21 November 1940, 29°22'S, 96°36'E, torpedoed, 1†
Port Wellington	United Kingdom	8,303	Freighter	30 November 1940, 32°10'S, 75°E, gunfire, 82  ( POW )
Empire Light	United Kingdom	6,828	Freighter	25 April 1941, scuttled
Clan Buchanan	United Kingdom	7,266	Freighter	28 April 1941, 05°24'N, 62°46'E, scuttled, 121  ( POW )
British Emperor	United Kingdom	3,663	Tanker	7 May 1941, 08°30'N, 56°25'E, torpedoed, 45  ( POW ) 8 surv

Norwegian whaling fleet

The Norwegian whaling fleet captured by Pinguin on 14 January 1941. ^[9]

!Name	Flag	GRT	Type	Notes
Ole Wegger	Norway	12,201	Factory ship	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Pelagos	Norway	12,083	Factory ship	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Solglimt	Norway	12,246	Supply ship	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Torlyn	Norway	247	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Pol VIII	Norway	293	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Pol IX	Norway	354	Whaler	14 January 1941, made an auxiliary, Adjutant
Pol X	Norway	354	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Star XIV	Norway	247	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Star XIX	Norway	249	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew, sunk by HMS Scarborough
Star XX	Norway	249	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Star XXI	Norway	298	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Star XXII	Norway	303	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Star XXIII	Norway	357	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew
Star XXIV	Norway	361	Whaler	14 January 1941, dispatched to Bordeaux with prize crew, sunk by HMS Scarborough

Ships mined by Pinguin and Passat

Sunk by mines from Pinguin and Passat ^[10]

Name	Flag	GRT	Type	Notes
SS Cambridge	United Kingdom	10,846	Reefer ship	7 November 1940, sank, 8 November, 1†, 55 surv
MS City of Rayville	United States	5,883	Freighter	9 November 1940, 38°51'S, 143°39'E, 1†, 38 surv [b]
MV Nimbin	Australia	1,052	Freighter	5 December 1940, ~7† [12]
FV Millimumul	Australia	287	Trawler	26 March 1941, 7† [13]

Notes

1. Converted to minelayer Passat, Bass Strait, Bordeaux, 30 crew returned to Norway 1  (POW)
2. First US ship sunk in the war ^[11]

Footnotes

1. Stegemann 2015, pp. 349–350.
2. Jordan 2006, p. 66.
3. Edwards 2001, p. 19.
4. Robinson 2016, p. 52.
5. Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 30.
6. Robinson 2016, pp. 52–53.
7. Duffy 2005, pp. 107–108.
8. Jordan 2006, pp. 101, 103, 134, 115, 155, 174, 182, 191, 316, 329, 342, 414, 488, 489, 490, 492, 495, 503, 506, 507, 519, 559, 562, 564, 580.
9. Brice 1981, p. 83.
10. Jordan 2006, pp. 134, 414, 490, 580.
11. Jordan 2006, p. 580.
12. Wrecksite 2024.
13. Wrecksite 2017.

Bibliography

• Brice, Martin (1981). Axis Blockade Runners of World War II. London: B. T. Batsford. ISBN   0-7134-2686-1.
• Duffy, James P. (2005). Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet: The Deadliest Ships of World War II. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN   0-275-96685-2.
• Edwards, Bernard (2001). Beware Raiders!: German Surface Raiders in the Second World War. Barnsley: Leo Cooper (Pen & Sword). ISBN   978-1-78337-907-1.
• Jordan, Roger W. (2006) [1999]. The World's Merchant Fleets 1939: The Particulars and Wartime Fates of 6,000 Ships (2nd ed.). London: Chatham/Lionel Leventhal. ISBN   978-1-86176-293-1. ^[1]
• Maier, Klaus A.; Rohde, Horst; Stegemann, Bernd; Umbreit, Hans (2015) [1991]. Falla, P. S. (ed.). Germany and the Second World War: Germany's Initial Conquests in Europe. Vol. II. Translated by McMurry, Dean S.; Osers, Ewald (trans. pbk. Clarendon Press, Oxford ed.). Freiburg im Breisgau: Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt [Research Institute for Military History]. ISBN   978-0-19-873834-3.
  • Stegemann, Bernd. "Part VIII The Second Phase of the War at Sea (until the Spring of 1941)". In Maier et al. (2015).
• Robinson, Stephen (2016). False Flags: Disguised German Raiders of World War II. Wollombi, New South Wales: Exisle. ISBN   978-1-92-533515-6.
• Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005) [1972]. Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN   978-1-86176-257-3.
• Vleggeert, Nico (2024). "MV Nimbin". wrecksite eu. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
• Allen, Tony (2017). "FV Millimumul". wrecksite eu. Retrieved 7 February 2025.

Further reading

• Brennecke, H. J. (1974) [1954]. Ghost Cruiser HK33. London: Futura. ISBN   978-0-86-007137-2.
• Forczyk, Robert (2010). German Commerce Raider vs. British Cruiser: The Atlantic and the Pacific 1941. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN   978-1-84603-918-8.
• Ivanov, Lyubomir; Ivanova, Nusha (2022). "Whaling period". The World of Antarctica. Wilmington, DE: Generis. pp. 91–94. ISBN   979-8-88676-403-1.
• Muggenthaler, August Karl (1977). German Raiders of World War II. London: Pan. ISBN   0-7091-6683-4.
• Roskill, S. W. (1957) [1954]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The Defensive. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series: The War at Sea 1939–1945. Vol. I (4th impr. ed.). London: HMSO. OCLC   881709135.
• Schmalenbach, Paul (1977). German Raiders: A History of Auxiliary Cruisers of the German Navy, 1895–1945. Cambridge: P. Stephens. ISBN   978-0-85-059351-8.
• Talbot-Booth, E.C. (1940) [1936]. Merchant Ships. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. OCLC   154106663.

External links

• The Royal New Zealand Navy Official History describes the operations of Pinguin
• www.bismarck-class.dk
• DreadnoughtProject.org original plan images of the vessel.
• German Commerce Raider HK33 (Battle LIne series) Part 1 of 3
• German Commerce Raider HK33 (Battle LIne series) Part 2 of 3
• Norwegian Victims of Pinguin
• Marauders of the Sea, German Armed Merchant Ships During W.W. 2
• Cruise Of The Raider HK 33
• Operations of the Pinguin
• Cruises Of The Secret Raiders.

3°30′0″N57°48′0″E / 3.50000°N 57.80000°E / 3.50000; 57.80000

1. Jordan 2006, p. 472.