Passenger
& Cargo
Tons
?
Dimensions
290
Crew
? (13 KIA on suttling)
Captain
Adalbert Zuckschwerdt
Scuttled
April
7, 1917
1914
Ship History
The
German WWI merchant raider, SMS Cormoran, was originally built by
German in 1909 for the Russian Volunteer Fleet and named the Rjasan.
She was used by the Russians as a combination mail, freight, passenger,
and cargo hauler throughout the North Pacific.
Captured by the Germans in 1914 as their first prize of the war with Russia and Japan. The Rjasan was taken to Tsingtao, China and converted to an armed merchant raider and renamed the SMS Cormoran after the original warship had serious engine failures.
WWI History
On August 10th the "new" Cormoran left harbor and
sailed throughout the South Pacific, spending literally all of her
time trying to avoid the larger Japanese battleships that were chasing
her all over the Pacific.
On December 14, 1914 the Cormoran pulled into Apra Harbor off Guam with only 50 tons of coal remaining. Due to both the very unstable relationships between Germany and the U.S., and that Guam also had a very limited amount of coal, the Guam Military Governor refused to supply the Cormoran with more than a token amount of coal, hence, she was forced into internment on Guam. Over the next two years the crew became guests of the Guamanians, and relations were very good. Eventually, the crew moved off the ship and settled into a "normal" routine ashore.
Scuttling
At the outbreak of American's entry into World War I, on April 7, 1917 the
captain of the Cormoran, Adalbert Zuckschwerdt, scuttled the ship, in Apra Harbor, instead
of turning her over to the Americans. 13 crew members went down with
the ship and they were buried with full military honors in the Naval
cemetery in Agana. The remainder of the crew was sent to Fort Douglas,
Utah for the duration of the war. They were finally sent home to Germany
on October 7, 1919. She is sunk directly beside the Tokai Maru.
Shipwreck
The hull of the Cormoran is intact. The engine room is easily accessible through
the skylights, and most of the superstructure is relatively intact. Visibility
averages 35-40', but can vary due to the tide and large ship traffic in the
harbor. Visibility averages 35-40', but can vary due weather and tidal flow
in the harbor.
120'
