German auxiliary cruiser Michel
Encyclopedia
Michel (HSK-9) was an auxiliary cruiser of the German Navy
that operated as a merchant raider
during World War II
. Built by Danziger Werft
in Danzig 1938/39 as the freighter Bielsko for Polish Gdynia-America-Line (GAL), she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine
at the outbreak of World War II
and converted into the hospital ship Bonn and in summer 1941 into auxiliary cruiser Michel, commissioned on 7 September 1941. Known to the KM as Schiff 28, her Royal Navy
designation was Raider H. She was the last operative German raider of World War II.
, her engines were worn out. As replacement for her the hospital ship Bonn was converted as AMC and used the weapons of her predecessor.
After moving under heavy escort through the Channel to a port in occupied France, Michel sailed on 20 March 1942 under the command of FK (later KzS) Helmuth von Ruckteschell
(who had previously commanded HSK 3, the raider Widder).
Michel grounded at on her first attempt to run through the Channel
and had to return but managed to reach the Atlantic on 20 March after a second try. Thereby on 14/15 March the cruiser and the escorts were repeatedly attacked by British forces, without success. Michel was to operate in the South Atlantic and first sank the British tanker Patelle on 19 April. On 22 April her small torpedo boat
sank the US tanker Connecticut but on 1 May an attack on the faster British freighter Menelaus failed. After its warning the Royal Navy
sent out the cruiser HMS Shropshire
and two AMCs.
Michel sank the Norse freighter Kattegat on 20 May.
LS 4 Esau discovered the struggling US Liberty ship
SS George Clymer and scored two torpedo hits but the freighter refused to go down. The nearby British AMC Alcantara
dashed forward and rescued the crew but the ship had to be abandoned. The Germans retreated when the British ship came in sight but nevertheless both the British and US ships did not see the Michel and thought the George Clymer was attacked by a submarine
.
Various other successes followed, as Michel operated in the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. After a successful cruise of eleven and a half months, Michel arrived in Japan
in March 1943.
In 346 days she encountered and sank 15 allied ships, totalling 99,000 tons (GRT).
, who had previously commanded the Thor
on her second voyage.
Cruising the west coast of Australia
, and crossing the Pacific Ocean
to the coast of South America, Michel encountered and sank three ships over a five month period for a total of 27,632 GRT, before returning to Japan. The fate of the last victim of Michel, the Norwegian tanker India, sunk on 11 September 1943, was not known until the end of the war.
Tarpon
, that attacked in one of the few instances of American submarines attacking a German vessel during World War II, hitting her with three torpedo
es. Michel sank, with 290 of her crew, including her captain. The survivors, 116 in total, were able to reach Japan after a three day journey in open boats. Scores of men had been left on rafts and floating wreckage, but the Japanese Navy reported that search aircraft had seen nothing. This caused some controversy amongst German Navy officers in Japan and at Naval Headquarters, with the Japanese seeming to have a blasé attitude towards possible German survivors. This event ended the war cruises of German auxiliary commerce raiders.
Second cruise:
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
that operated as a merchant raider
Merchant raider
Merchant raiders are ships which disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels, whilst actually being armed and intending to attack enemy commerce. Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I, and again early in World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Built by Danziger Werft
Danziger Werft
Danziger Werft was a German shipbuilding company, located in Danzig. It was founded in 1921 on the site of the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig that had been closed after World War I.During World War II Danziger Werft built 42 Type VII U-boats for the Kriegsmarine....
in Danzig 1938/39 as the freighter Bielsko for Polish Gdynia-America-Line (GAL), she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and converted into the hospital ship Bonn and in summer 1941 into auxiliary cruiser Michel, commissioned on 7 September 1941. Known to the KM as Schiff 28, her Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
designation was Raider H. She was the last operative German raider of World War II.
Construction and conversion
After the AMC Widder returned to GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, her engines were worn out. As replacement for her the hospital ship Bonn was converted as AMC and used the weapons of her predecessor.
First raiding voyage
Although Michel was scheduled to leave at the end of November 1941 she was unable to depart before March 1942 due to reconstruction delays.After moving under heavy escort through the Channel to a port in occupied France, Michel sailed on 20 March 1942 under the command of FK (later KzS) Helmuth von Ruckteschell
Helmuth von Ruckteschell
Helmuth von Ruckteschell was an officer in the German navy, serving in both World War I and World War II.He was one of the most successful merchant raider commanders, serving as...
(who had previously commanded HSK 3, the raider Widder).
Michel grounded at on her first attempt to run through the Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and had to return but managed to reach the Atlantic on 20 March after a second try. Thereby on 14/15 March the cruiser and the escorts were repeatedly attacked by British forces, without success. Michel was to operate in the South Atlantic and first sank the British tanker Patelle on 19 April. On 22 April her small torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
sank the US tanker Connecticut but on 1 May an attack on the faster British freighter Menelaus failed. After its warning the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
sent out the cruiser HMS Shropshire
HMS Shropshire (73)
HMS Shropshire was a Royal Navy heavy cruiser of the London sub-class of County class cruisers. She is the only warship to have been named after Shropshire, England. Completed in 1929, Shropshire served with the RN until 1942, when she was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy following the...
and two AMCs.
Michel sank the Norse freighter Kattegat on 20 May.
LS 4 Esau discovered the struggling US Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
SS George Clymer and scored two torpedo hits but the freighter refused to go down. The nearby British AMC Alcantara
MS Alcantara (1927)
RMS Alcantara was an ocean liner of the Royal Mail Lines, a successor to the that had been sunk in World War I.Alcantara was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast, and launched in 1927. She ran the route from Southampton to the east coast of South America...
dashed forward and rescued the crew but the ship had to be abandoned. The Germans retreated when the British ship came in sight but nevertheless both the British and US ships did not see the Michel and thought the George Clymer was attacked by a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
.
Various other successes followed, as Michel operated in the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. After a successful cruise of eleven and a half months, Michel arrived in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in March 1943.
In 346 days she encountered and sank 15 allied ships, totalling 99,000 tons (GRT).
Second raiding voyage
After a refit, Michel sailed from Yokohama on 21 May 1943, this time under the command of KzS Günther GumprichGünther Gumprich
Günther Gumprich was a Captain of the German Navy who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, who had previously commanded the Thor
German auxiliary cruiser Thor
Thor was an auxiliary cruiser of the German Kriegsmarine in the Second World War, intended for service as a commerce raider. Also known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 10; to the Royal Navy she was Raider E...
on her second voyage.
Cruising the west coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and crossing the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
to the coast of South America, Michel encountered and sank three ships over a five month period for a total of 27,632 GRT, before returning to Japan. The fate of the last victim of Michel, the Norwegian tanker India, sunk on 11 September 1943, was not known until the end of the war.
Fate
On her return to Japan, just 50 miles (80.5 km) out from port, and not zigzagging, Michel was sighted by US submarineSubmarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
Tarpon
USS Tarpon (SS-175)
USS Tarpon , second ship of this name, was laid down on 22 December 1933 at Groton, Connecticut, by the Electric Boat Corporation; launched on 4 September 1935; sponsored by Miss Eleanore Katherine Roosevelt, daughter of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Henry L. Roosevelt; and commissioned on 12...
, that attacked in one of the few instances of American submarines attacking a German vessel during World War II, hitting her with three torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es. Michel sank, with 290 of her crew, including her captain. The survivors, 116 in total, were able to reach Japan after a three day journey in open boats. Scores of men had been left on rafts and floating wreckage, but the Japanese Navy reported that search aircraft had seen nothing. This caused some controversy amongst German Navy officers in Japan and at Naval Headquarters, with the Japanese seeming to have a blasé attitude towards possible German survivors. This event ended the war cruises of German auxiliary commerce raiders.
Raiding career
First cruise:- 1942-04-19
- 1942-04-22
- 1942-05-20
- 1942-06-07
- 1942-06-11
- 1942-07-15 Gloucester CastleHMHS Gloucester CastleHMHS Gloucester Castle was a steam ship originally built for the Union-Castle Line, but requisitioned for use as a British hospital ship during the First World War. On 31 March 1917 she was torpedoed by German U-boat UB-32. She was, however, salvaged, and returned to civilian service after the war...
- 1942-07-16
- 1942-07-17
- 1942-08-14
- 1942-09-10
- 1942-09-11
- 1942-11-02
- 1942-11-29
- 1942-12-08
- 1943-01-02
Second cruise:
- 1943-06-15 .
- 1943-06-17
- 1943-09-11
External links
- Hilfskreuzer Michel on Bismarck & Tirpitz, with list of all captured ships.