Editing Merchant raider

{{Short description|Warship type disguised as a non-combatant}}
[[File:Sinking Cap Trafalgar.jpg|thumb|{{RMS|Carmania|1905|6}} sinking {{SMS|Cap Trafalgar||6}} near the Brazilian islands of [[Trindade and Martim Vaz|Trindade]], 14 September 1914.]]
'''Merchant raiders''' are armed [[commerce raiding]] [[ship]]s that disguise themselves as [[non-combatant]] [[merchant vessel]]s.

==History==
[[Germany]] used several merchant raiders early in [[World War I]] (1914–1918), and again early in [[World War II]] (1939–1945). The captain of a German merchant raider, [[Felix von Luckner]], used the sailing ship [[SMS Seeadler (1915)|SMS ''Seeadler'']] for his voyage (1916–1917). The Germans used a sailing ship at this stage of the war because coal-fired ships had limited access to fuel outside of territories held by the [[Central Powers]] due to international regulations concerning refueling of combat ships in neutral countries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pardoe |first=Blaine L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hh5venj99kAC&dq=%22Merchant+raider%22+ship&pg=RA1-PA12 |title="With the Wind at Their Backs" in Prologue: The Journal of the National Archives |date=2005 |publisher=National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration |language=en}}</ref>

Germany sent out two waves of six surface raiders each during [[World War II]]. Most of these vessels were in the {{convert|8000|–|10000|LT|t}} range. Many of these vessels had originally been [[refrigerator ship]]s, used to transport fresh food from the tropics. These vessels were faster than regular [[merchant vessel]]s, which was important for a [[warship]]. They were armed with six [[15 cm SK L/45|15 cm]] (5.9&nbsp;inch) [[naval gun]]s, some smaller guns, [[torpedo]]es, [[Reconnaissance aircraft|reconnaissance seaplanes]] and some were equipped for [[minelaying]]. Several captains demonstrated great creativity in disguising their vessels to masquerade as allied or as neutral merchants.

The ''[[German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran|Kormoran]]'' fought the Australian light cruiser [[HMAS Sydney (D48)|''Sydney'']] in [[Sinking of HMAS Sydney|a mutually destructive battle]] in November 1941.

Italy intended to outfit four refrigerated [[Banana boat (ship)|banana boat]]s as merchant raiders during World War II (''[[Ramb I]]'', ''[[Ramb II]]'', ''[[Ramb III]]'' and ''[[Ramb IV]]''). Only ''Ramb I'' and ''Ramb II'' served as merchant raiders and neither ship sank enemy vessels due to naval presence in the Red Sea. The New Zealand cruiser [[HMNZS Leander|''Leander'']] [[Action of 27 February 1941|sank ''Ramb I'']] off the Maldives (February 1941) while it tried to make for Japan; ''Ramb II'' did reach the Far East, where the Japanese prevented her from raiding, ultimately took her over and converted her to an auxiliary transport ship. (''Ramb III'' served as a convoy escort until torpedoed and ended up as a German minelayer, and ''Ramb IV'' was converted for the Italian Royal Navy to a hospital ship.)

These commerce raiders carried no armour because their purpose was to attack merchantmen, not to engage warships—it would also be difficult to fit armour to a civilian vessel. Eventually most were sunk or transferred to other duties.

The British deployed [[Armed Merchant Cruiser]]s (AMC) in World War I and in World War II. Generally adapted from [[Ocean liner|passenger liner]]s, they were larger than the German merchant raiders, were used as convoy escorts and did not disguise themselves. The British AMC [[RMS Carmania (1905)|''Carmania'']] sank the German [[SMS Cap Trafalgar|SMS ''Cap Trafalgar'']] which had been altered to look more like the ''Carmania''.

During [[World War I]], the British [[Royal Navy]] deployed [[Q-ship]]s to combat German [[U-boat]]s. Q-ships were warships posing as merchant ships so as to lure U-boats to attack them; their mission of destroying enemy warships differed significantly from the raider objective of disrupting enemy trade.

==See also==
* [[Armed merchantmen]]
<!-- *[[Auxiliary cruiser]] (redirects to armed merchantman) -->
* [[German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis|Auxiliary cruiser ''Atlantis'']]
* [[SMS Möwe (1914)|Auxiliary cruiser ''Möwe'']]
* [[SMS Wolf (1916)|''Wolf'']]
* [[List of Japanese auxiliary cruiser commerce raiders]]
* [[Prize (law)]] - admiralty law concerning material captured
* [[Q-ship]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=69kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14 ''Merchant Ships Convert Into War Raiders, Paint And False Structures Provide Disguises'' September 1941] article details how Merchant Raiders operate in wartime
* [http://www.ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersWW1/Wolf.html Marauders of the Sea, German Armed Merchant Raiders During World War 1, Wolf]
* [http://www.ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersWW1/Moewe.html Marauders of the Sea, German Armed Merchant Raiders During World War 1, Möwe]
* [http://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck_class/hilfskreuzer/hilfskreuzer_menu.html Hilfskreuzer]

{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merchant Raider}}
[[Category:Ship types]]
[[Category:Naval warfare]]
[[Category:Commerce raiders]]
[[Category:Economic warfare]]