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The German commerce raiders of World War I were those surface vessels used by the Imperial German Navy to pursue its war on Allied commerce, (the ''Handelskrieg''). These comprised regular warships, principally cruisers, stationed in Germany’s colonial empire, express liners commissioned as auxiliary cruisers and, later, freighters outfitted as merchant raiders. These vessels had a number of successes, and a significant impact on Allied naval strategy, particularly in the early months of the war. ==The cruisers== At the outbreak of World War I Germany had six light and two heavy cruisers, and four gunboats, stationed overseas. These ships were stationed at various ports in Germany's colonial empire, or at neutral ports protecting German interests. In the west, she had ''Karlsruhe'' in the Caribbean and ''Dresden'' on the east coast of Mexico. In West Africa she had the gunboat ''Eber''; in East Africa the cruiser ''Konigsberg'' and the gunboat ''Geier''. The largest force was in the Pacific, with the Far East Squadron under V Adm. Graf von Spee; two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and two gunboats, all at Tsingtau, and cruisers ''Leipzig'' and ''Nurnberg'' deployed at sea. With the commencement of hostilities these ships were ordered to attack Allied trade wherever they found it. At the outbreak of war, v Spee was at sea and set out across the Pacific to harass and disrupt British and Allied shipping. He had with him ''Scharnhorst'', ''Gneisenau'' and ''Emden'' and was quickly joined by ''Nurnberg'' and two auxiliary cruisers. ''Emden'' was dispatched on a solo raiding voyage in the Indian Ocean, which was highly successful, while von Spee headed for Chile to secure supplies of coal. At Easter Island in October he was joined by ''Leipzig'' and ''Dresden'', and at Coronel in November he defeated a British squadron which was searching for him. In December however he was surprised in the act of attacking Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, and his entire force, save one, was destroyed. Despite v Spee’s skill and courage, his mission, to destroy Allied commerce where he found it, was a failure. Two British warships were sunk, and one sailing ship, by his squadron in the five months he remained at large, while his light cruisers on detachment, with one exception, also achieved little. ''Nurnberg'' which had been on detached service, sent to relieve ''Leipzig'' had rejoined v Spee on the outbreak of war. She had encountered no Allied shipping and made no captures. After that her fate was linked with v Spee's and she was sunk at the Falklands. ''Leipzig'' had been at Acapulco in Mexico. She originally headed north along the US coast, causing British commerce to come to a standstill. She was able to coal at San Francisco before heading south-west to join v Spee. In this time she took two ships, and in the South Pacific two more. Thereafter ''Leipzig's'' fate was also joined with v Spee’s and she also was sunk at Falklands. Another cruiser, ''Dresden'', also achieved little. On the east coast of Mexico at the outbreak of war, she moved down the coast of South America, looking for Allied shipping, but made just 2 captures before receiving orders to enter the Pacific and join v Spee’s squadron. She did this in October 1914, making rendezvous at Easter island. In the Pacific ''Dresden'' took two more ships before v Spee’s squadron was destroyed at the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914. ''Dresden'' escaped, but was run to ground in March 1915 at Mas a Tierra island. The exception was ''Emden'', which made one of the most successful raiding cruises of any German warship. After leaving v Spee at Pagan in August, ''Emden'', under FK Karl von Mueller, captured and disposed of sixteen Allied ships and two warships in a four-month career that ranged over the eastern Indian Ocean. ''Emden'' was finally brought to battle and destroyed on 9 November at Keeling Island by the Australia cruiser ''Sydney''. On the other side of the Indian Ocean, in German East Africa, the IGN had the cruiser ''Konigsberg'' and the gunboat ''Geier''. ''Konigsberg'' set out one raiding voyage, to the Gulf of Aden, and sank one ship. In September she surprised the British cruiser ''Pegasus'' in Zanzibar harbour and sank her. But lack of coal limited her operations and fear of being herself caught in harbour made her captain opt for taking refuge in the river delta of the Rufiji. This hiding place was discovered in October and the channel successfully blocked in November. Thereafter, although ''Konigsberg'' remained a potential threat, and although the RN took another six months before she could be destroyed, from this point her raiding career was over. ''Geier'' set out from East Africa in August, and crossed both the Indian and the Pacific oceans in search of Allied ships, but in three months was unsuccessful, capturing just one ship before interning herself at Honolulu. In the west the most successful cruiser was ''Karlsruhe'', under FK Erich Kohler. After meeting and equipping the liner ''Kronprinz Wilhelm'', ''Karlsruhe'' set out on a raiding voyage along the South American trade routes. Using her attendant supply ships, and later, prizes, to scout for her, ''Karlsruhe'' moved through the ocean, her net cast wide, able to steam quickly to any target or to evade conflict. After two months she had captured and disposed of 16 ships, including one neutral Dutch freighter, and taken 500 prisoners. At the end of October these were dispatched to neutral Tenerife in one of the prizes, and ''Karlsruhe'' steamed north to open a new hunting ground in the Caribbean. However on 4 November 1914, 300 miles east of Barbados, ''Karlsruhe'' suffered a calamitous internal explosion, sinking her and killing her captain and 260 crew. The survivors were rescued by the supply ship ''Rio Negro'', which had been in attendance, and returned to Germany. The Germans were able to keep the secret of her loss until March 1915; until that time ''Karlsruhe'' exerted an influence as a ghost ship on British naval strategy, forcing the Allies to guard against possible attacks. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「German commerce raiders in World War I」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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