German auxiliary cruiser Thor
Encyclopedia
Thor (HSK 4) 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. She was named after the Germanic deity Thor
.
named Santa Cruz, she was built by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, (DWH) in 1938, and was owned and operated by the Oldenburg Portuguese Line (OPDR), Hamburg
. In the winter of 1939–1940 she was requisitioned by the KM and converted to a war ship by DWH. She was commissioned as the commerce raider Thor in March 1940.
. Thor spent 328 days at sea, and sank or captured 12 ships, for a combined tonnage of 96,547.
The Thor stopped its first victim on 1 July, the 9290-ton Dutch freighter
Kertosono. The Kertosono was carrying a cargo of petrol
, timber
, asphalt
, and agricultural machinery. Captain Kähler decided to send the ship under a prize crew to Lorient
, France, where she arrived safely 12 days later. At the time, Thor was disguised as a Yugoslavia
n freighter.
On 7 July Thor encountered the Delambre, a 7,030 ton British freighter. Thor fired several broadside
s, the third of which hit the Delambre, stopping her dead in the water, after which the Thor's boarding party scuttled
the ship with demolition charges.
Two days later Thor intercepted the Belgian freighter Bruges, which was carrying a cargo of wheat. The Bruges was scuttled, and her crew of 44 was taken aboard the Thor. On the 14th, Thor stopped another freighter carrying wheat; the British freighter Gracefield. The Gracefield was sunk by demolition charges.
On 16 July the British freighter Wendover was attacked without warning, as she was seen to be armed. The Wendover was hit by several shells from Thor and set on fire. A boarding party set demolition charges, which caused the Wendover to capsize, so it was sunk by gunfire.
The Dutch freighter Tela, en route to the UK, was intercepted on 17 July. Thor fired a shot across the bow
of the Tela, which stopped without sending distress signals. The crew of 33 abandoned the ship and were taken aboard the Thor, after the Tela was sunk by demolition charges.
On 28 July, Thor encountered the British Armed Merchant Cruiser
HMS Alcantara
, which was armed with eight 6-inch guns. Kähler turned away from the Alcantara, and tried to outrun her for three hours, until he realized the Alcantara was a faster ship, at which point he decided to turn and fight, attempting to inflict enough damage to allow the Thor to escape. Thor scored three early hits, one between the bridge and funnel, a second towards the aft of the Alcantara, and a third on the waterline, which caused flooding in the engine room, forcing the Alcantara to reduce speed. Thor turned away from the Alcantara and received two hits from her 6" guns, killing three crew members. Instead of risking further combat, Thor made its escape under cover of a dense smoke screen.
Following the battle with Alcantara, Thor made repairs to battle damage, cleaned her boilers, and changed her disguise. Thor rendezvoused with the supply ship Rekum on 25 August and then returned to Brazil
ian waters. Two weeks later, on Sept 8th, the Yugoslav Federico Glavic was stopped, but allowed to proceed unmolested, as Yugoslavia was neutral at the time. On 26 September Thor's float plane discovered the Norwegian whale-oil tanker Kosmos, which was carrying over 17,000 tons of whale oil
. The Kosmos would have been a highly valuable prize ship, but the fact that she was short of fuel, slow, and easily recognizable made her unretainable. Kähler ordered Kosmos to be sunk by gunfire.
On 8 October Thor caught the 8,715 ton British refrigeration ship Natia. Thor scored a direct hit, which set the Natia dead in the water, though she continued wireless transmissions. Thor hit Natia 7 or 8 more times with gunfire, and a torpedo that tore open her side, another 35 rounds were fired before she sank. 84 crewmembers of Natia's 85 were taken aboard Thor, bringing her total to 368. Most of these prisoners were transferred to the supply ship Rio Grande in mid November.
On 5 December Thor encountered another armed merchant cruiser, HMS Carnarvon Castle, a 20,000 ton ship armed with eight 6" and two 3" guns. Thor carried three of her four 5.9" guns aft, so Cpt Kähler decided to force the Carnarvon Castle into a stern chase. Thor's gunners found their target in the fourth salvo, after which Cpt Kähler changed course, turning the chase into a circular fight, in order to bring the entire weight of Thor's broadside to bear. Thor was in command of the engagement; her gunners registered more than 20 hits, forcing the Carnarvon Castle to turn and flee to Montevideo
, Uruguay.
Following this engagement, Thor was ordered to rendezvous with the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
to transfer crewmen for prize crews for Pinguin's
captured whaling fleet.
On 25 March Thor intercepted the Britannia, an 8,800 ton British passenger ship. After scoring several hits on the fleeing ship, Kähler allowed her to be abandoned, before firing 16 5.9" rounds into the waterline, sinking the ship. German wireless operators intercepted a message from a nearby British warship approaching at full speed, from approximately one hundred miles away. Kähler decided to not risk an encounter with an enemy warship, and reasoned that the British ship would arrive and provide assistance to those in the water. Unfortunately, the British warship failed to locate the survivors. 331 out of approximately 520 were ultimately rescued, primarily by the Spanish ships Cabo de Hornos, Raranga, and Bachi. 33 survivors eventually made landfall at Sao Luis, on the coast of Brazil, after 23 days and 1,500 miles adrift at sea.
On the same day, 25 March, Thor stopped the 5,045 ton Swedish motor vessel Trolleholm. In less than 90 minutes, all 31 crewmembers were transferred to Thor, and the freighter was sunk by demolition charges.
On her return trip to Germany, Thor encountered a third armed merchant cruiser off the Cape Verde
islands, HMS Voltaire, a 13,245 ton ship armed with eight 6" and three 3" guns. Thor approached head on, and in response to Voltaire's signalling of a series of AAA's (an order to identify oneself), fired a shot across Voltaire's bow. Thor's first salvo hit Voltaire's generator and radio room, rendering her unable to transmit any further signals.
Voltaire was turned into a blazing inferno. Two of Voltaire's 6" guns continued to fire, though they only scored one hit on Thor, disabling her radio aerial. Thor's obsolete guns overheated and had to cease firing, at which point the Voltaire raised a white flag
. Thor began rescuing the crew of the Voltaire, from a safe distance of 4,000 yards, to avoid damage from any secondary explosions. The captain of the Voltaire along with 196 men were rescued out of a crew of 296.
The last ship intercepted by Thor during her first cruise came on 16 April, on her way back to Germany; the Swedish ore
carrier Sir Ernest Cassel. Two warning shots were fired, which stopped the ship; her crew was taken aboard the Thor, and she was sunk by demolition charges.
. Thor sank or captured 10 ships during her second cruise, for a total of 58,644 tons, during 328 days of operation.
On 13 March Thor was stopped by the British cruiser HMS Durban. Thor identified herself as the British freighter Levernbank, which satisfied Durban, who went on her way. The following day Thor was again challenged, this time by the armed merchant cruiser Cheshire. Thor again identified herself as a British freighter, and was allowed to proceed.
Thor encountered its first victim on 23 March, the 3,490 ton Greek freighter Pagasitikos. Her crew of 33 was taken aboard Thor, and she was sunk by a torpedo. The next day, 24 March, Thor replenished its stocks from the supply ship Regensburg.
On 30 March Thor pursued the 4,470 ton British freighter Wellpark for seven hours. Cpt Gumprich sent his seaplane to strafe the freighter, but was driven off when the Thor opened fire on the Wellpark. Within 15 minutes, the Wellpark's crew abandoned ship, and she was sunk.
On 1 April Thor intercepted another British freighter, the 4,565 ton Willesden. Gumprich again ordered his floatplane to destroy the vessel's radio aerial before opening fire from the Thor. Following the plane's strafing run, Thor opened fire with her 5.9" guns, and set the oil drums on the Willesden's deck on fire, forcing the majority of the crew to abandon the ship; the only remaining crewmembers were the gunners, though they only managed to fire six shots before they were also forced to abandon the ship. Thor fired 128 shells into the Willesden, and finished her off with a torpedo.
Two days later on the 3rd, the Norwegian freighter Aust fell victim to the same tactics. She was unable to send a distress or raider signal before she was disabled and sunk by demolition charges.
Thor detected the 4,840 ton British freighter Kirkpool on his radar, the first installed on an armed merchant cruiser, on 10 April. Poor visibility and fog forced Cpt Gumprich to abandon his usual tactics and instead shadow the Kirkpool until nightfall. At close range, Thor attacked first with a torpedo and a salvo of her 5.9" guns, both of which missed. The second salvo scored three hits, and set the Kirkpool's bridge and wheelhouse alight. With the helm unattended, Kirkpool veered towards Thor, in what appeared to be an attempt to ram her attacker, which was avoided. Kirkpool's crew began abandoning the ship, and after a three hour search, 32 men were pulled from the water, including the Captain, Chief Engineer
, and First Officer
of the Kirkpool. The ship was finished off with a torpedo.
All of Thor's victims thus far were near the Cape of Good Hope
, in the shipping lanes. The Kriegsmarine High Command (SKL) ordered Thor to move into the Indian Ocean, but was warned to be aware of Japanese submarines operating in the area.
On 10 May Thor's seaplane sighted the 7,130 ton Australian liner Nankin, en route to Bombay. From a distance of 13,000 yards, Thor opened fire with her 5.9" guns, scoring several hits. The Captain of the Nankin issued the order to abandon ship and lowered his flags. The crew attempted to scuttle the ship, but the German boarding party managed to repair the damage done to the ship's engines. The Nankin was renamed the Leuthen and taken as a prize ship to rendezvous with the Regensburg. Following resupply and prisoner transfer, the Leuthen and Regensburg both travelled to Japanese held ports.
On 14 June Thor's radar picked up a contact at 10,000 yards, and by using a converging course, was able to approach to within 1,800 yards, Thor attacked what turned out to be the 6,310 ton Dutch Shell tanker Olivia. The first salvo set the Olivia ablaze, killing most of the crew. The Third Officer
, 3 other Dutchmen and 8 Chinese were able to lower a single boat, but Thor was only able to locate one man in the water. These 12 men were adrift for a month before their boat capsized in the breakers off Madagascar
; 1 Dutch and 7 Chinese sailors had died during the month at sea.
Five days later on the 19th, Thor intercepted the Norwegian oil tanker Herborg. Her seaplane disabled Herborg's radio aerial, and a warning salvo from Thor brought Herborg to a stop. The entire crew was taken aboard Thor, and a prize crew took the renamed Hohenfriedburg to Japan.
On 4 July Thor stopped another Norwegian oil tanker, the 5,895 ton Madrono. The Madrono was halted in the same manner as Herborg, and a prize crew took her to Japan as well, renamed as Rossbach. The Rossbach was eventually torpedoed by the American submarine USS Burrfish
, in the Kii Channel, Japan, in May 1944.
Thor's tenth and final victim came on 20 July, the British refrigerated freighter Indus. Indus was determined to put up a fight, and turned away at full speed, firing with her stern gun, though she only fired two shots before a shell from Thor hit the gun directly, killing the chief gunner and destroying the gun. The freighter's radio operator kept up a steady stream of distress signals, until another shell from Thor hit the bridge, killing him and knocking out the radio, and setting the bridge on fire. The Indus was now a raging inferno, and most of her crew went overboard. Thor ceased firing, and began rescue operations, picking up 49 survivors, before finishing Indus off.
Thor transferred her prisoners to the blockade runner
Tannenfels, and made for Yokohama, Japan, by way of Batavia
, Indonesia.
) Gumprich, later commanded the raider Michel
on her second raiding voyage, from which he did not return.
A number of survivors of the ship were sent to France on the blockade runner
Doggerbank and perished when the ship was mistakenly sunk by the German submarine U-43 on 3 March 1943 with all but one of the 365 strong crew lost at sea.
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...
in the Second World War, intended for service as a commerce raider. Also known to 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...
as Schiff 10; to 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...
she was Raider E. She was named after the Germanic deity Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
.
Early history
Formerly a freighterCargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
named Santa Cruz, she was built by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, (DWH) in 1938, and was owned and operated by the Oldenburg Portuguese Line (OPDR), Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In the winter of 1939–1940 she was requisitioned by the KM and converted to a war ship by DWH. She was commissioned as the commerce raider Thor in March 1940.
First cruise
The Thor began its first combat cruise on 6 June 1940, under the command of Captain Otto KählerOtto Kähler
Otto Kähler was a Konteradmiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the , a merchant raider, on two combat patrols and sank or captured 12 ships, for a combined tonnage of of Allied shipping. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
. Thor spent 328 days at sea, and sank or captured 12 ships, for a combined tonnage of 96,547.
The Thor stopped its first victim on 1 July, the 9290-ton Dutch freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Kertosono. The Kertosono was carrying a cargo of petrol
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, timber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
, and agricultural machinery. Captain Kähler decided to send the ship under a prize crew to Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
, France, where she arrived safely 12 days later. At the time, Thor was disguised as a Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n freighter.
On 7 July Thor encountered the Delambre, a 7,030 ton British freighter. Thor fired several broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
s, the third of which hit the Delambre, stopping her dead in the water, after which the Thor's boarding party scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
the ship with demolition charges.
Two days later Thor intercepted the Belgian freighter Bruges, which was carrying a cargo of wheat. The Bruges was scuttled, and her crew of 44 was taken aboard the Thor. On the 14th, Thor stopped another freighter carrying wheat; the British freighter Gracefield. The Gracefield was sunk by demolition charges.
On 16 July the British freighter Wendover was attacked without warning, as she was seen to be armed. The Wendover was hit by several shells from Thor and set on fire. A boarding party set demolition charges, which caused the Wendover to capsize, so it was sunk by gunfire.
The Dutch freighter Tela, en route to the UK, was intercepted on 17 July. Thor fired a shot across the bow
Warning shot
A warning shot is a military term describing harmless artillery shot or gunshot intended to call attention and demand some action of compliance...
of the Tela, which stopped without sending distress signals. The crew of 33 abandoned the ship and were taken aboard the Thor, after the Tela was sunk by demolition charges.
On 28 July, Thor encountered the British Armed Merchant Cruiser
Armed merchantmen
Armed merchantman is a term that has come to mean a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in long distance and high value...
HMS 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...
, which was armed with eight 6-inch guns. Kähler turned away from the Alcantara, and tried to outrun her for three hours, until he realized the Alcantara was a faster ship, at which point he decided to turn and fight, attempting to inflict enough damage to allow the Thor to escape. Thor scored three early hits, one between the bridge and funnel, a second towards the aft of the Alcantara, and a third on the waterline, which caused flooding in the engine room, forcing the Alcantara to reduce speed. Thor turned away from the Alcantara and received two hits from her 6" guns, killing three crew members. Instead of risking further combat, Thor made its escape under cover of a dense smoke screen.
Following the battle with Alcantara, Thor made repairs to battle damage, cleaned her boilers, and changed her disguise. Thor rendezvoused with the supply ship Rekum on 25 August and then returned to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian waters. Two weeks later, on Sept 8th, the Yugoslav Federico Glavic was stopped, but allowed to proceed unmolested, as Yugoslavia was neutral at the time. On 26 September Thor's float plane discovered the Norwegian whale-oil tanker Kosmos, which was carrying over 17,000 tons of whale oil
Whale oil
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of right whale and the bowhead whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale...
. The Kosmos would have been a highly valuable prize ship, but the fact that she was short of fuel, slow, and easily recognizable made her unretainable. Kähler ordered Kosmos to be sunk by gunfire.
On 8 October Thor caught the 8,715 ton British refrigeration ship Natia. Thor scored a direct hit, which set the Natia dead in the water, though she continued wireless transmissions. Thor hit Natia 7 or 8 more times with gunfire, and a torpedo that tore open her side, another 35 rounds were fired before she sank. 84 crewmembers of Natia's 85 were taken aboard Thor, bringing her total to 368. Most of these prisoners were transferred to the supply ship Rio Grande in mid November.
On 5 December Thor encountered another armed merchant cruiser, HMS Carnarvon Castle, a 20,000 ton ship armed with eight 6" and two 3" guns. Thor carried three of her four 5.9" guns aft, so Cpt Kähler decided to force the Carnarvon Castle into a stern chase. Thor's gunners found their target in the fourth salvo, after which Cpt Kähler changed course, turning the chase into a circular fight, in order to bring the entire weight of Thor's broadside to bear. Thor was in command of the engagement; her gunners registered more than 20 hits, forcing the Carnarvon Castle to turn and flee to Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay.
Following this engagement, Thor was ordered to rendezvous with the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
Admiral Scheer was a Deutschland-class heavy cruiser which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. The vessel was named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer, German commander in the Battle of Jutland. She was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven in June...
to transfer crewmen for prize crews for Pinguin's
German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin
The Pinguin was a German auxiliary cruiser which served as a commerce raider in World War II. 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...
captured whaling fleet.
On 25 March Thor intercepted the Britannia, an 8,800 ton British passenger ship. After scoring several hits on the fleeing ship, Kähler allowed her to be abandoned, before firing 16 5.9" rounds into the waterline, sinking the ship. German wireless operators intercepted a message from a nearby British warship approaching at full speed, from approximately one hundred miles away. Kähler decided to not risk an encounter with an enemy warship, and reasoned that the British ship would arrive and provide assistance to those in the water. Unfortunately, the British warship failed to locate the survivors. 331 out of approximately 520 were ultimately rescued, primarily by the Spanish ships Cabo de Hornos, Raranga, and Bachi. 33 survivors eventually made landfall at Sao Luis, on the coast of Brazil, after 23 days and 1,500 miles adrift at sea.
On the same day, 25 March, Thor stopped the 5,045 ton Swedish motor vessel Trolleholm. In less than 90 minutes, all 31 crewmembers were transferred to Thor, and the freighter was sunk by demolition charges.
On her return trip to Germany, Thor encountered a third armed merchant cruiser off the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
islands, HMS Voltaire, a 13,245 ton ship armed with eight 6" and three 3" guns. Thor approached head on, and in response to Voltaire's signalling of a series of AAA's (an order to identify oneself), fired a shot across Voltaire's bow. Thor's first salvo hit Voltaire's generator and radio room, rendering her unable to transmit any further signals.
Voltaire was turned into a blazing inferno. Two of Voltaire's 6" guns continued to fire, though they only scored one hit on Thor, disabling her radio aerial. Thor's obsolete guns overheated and had to cease firing, at which point the Voltaire raised a white flag
White flag
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of temporary truce in order to parley :...
. Thor began rescuing the crew of the Voltaire, from a safe distance of 4,000 yards, to avoid damage from any secondary explosions. The captain of the Voltaire along with 196 men were rescued out of a crew of 296.
The last ship intercepted by Thor during her first cruise came on 16 April, on her way back to Germany; the Swedish ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
carrier Sir Ernest Cassel. Two warning shots were fired, which stopped the ship; her crew was taken aboard the Thor, and she was sunk by demolition charges.
Second cruise
Thor set out on its second cruise on 30 November 1941 under the command of Captain 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...
. Thor sank or captured 10 ships during her second cruise, for a total of 58,644 tons, during 328 days of operation.
On 13 March Thor was stopped by the British cruiser HMS Durban. Thor identified herself as the British freighter Levernbank, which satisfied Durban, who went on her way. The following day Thor was again challenged, this time by the armed merchant cruiser Cheshire. Thor again identified herself as a British freighter, and was allowed to proceed.
Thor encountered its first victim on 23 March, the 3,490 ton Greek freighter Pagasitikos. Her crew of 33 was taken aboard Thor, and she was sunk by a torpedo. The next day, 24 March, Thor replenished its stocks from the supply ship Regensburg.
On 30 March Thor pursued the 4,470 ton British freighter Wellpark for seven hours. Cpt Gumprich sent his seaplane to strafe the freighter, but was driven off when the Thor opened fire on the Wellpark. Within 15 minutes, the Wellpark's crew abandoned ship, and she was sunk.
On 1 April Thor intercepted another British freighter, the 4,565 ton Willesden. Gumprich again ordered his floatplane to destroy the vessel's radio aerial before opening fire from the Thor. Following the plane's strafing run, Thor opened fire with her 5.9" guns, and set the oil drums on the Willesden's deck on fire, forcing the majority of the crew to abandon the ship; the only remaining crewmembers were the gunners, though they only managed to fire six shots before they were also forced to abandon the ship. Thor fired 128 shells into the Willesden, and finished her off with a torpedo.
Two days later on the 3rd, the Norwegian freighter Aust fell victim to the same tactics. She was unable to send a distress or raider signal before she was disabled and sunk by demolition charges.
Thor detected the 4,840 ton British freighter Kirkpool on his radar, the first installed on an armed merchant cruiser, on 10 April. Poor visibility and fog forced Cpt Gumprich to abandon his usual tactics and instead shadow the Kirkpool until nightfall. At close range, Thor attacked first with a torpedo and a salvo of her 5.9" guns, both of which missed. The second salvo scored three hits, and set the Kirkpool's bridge and wheelhouse alight. With the helm unattended, Kirkpool veered towards Thor, in what appeared to be an attempt to ram her attacker, which was avoided. Kirkpool's crew began abandoning the ship, and after a three hour search, 32 men were pulled from the water, including the Captain, Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer
In marine transportation, the chief engineer is a licensed mariner in charge of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. "Chief engineer" is the official title of someone qualified to oversee the entire engine department; the qualification is colloquially called a "chief's...
, and First Officer
Chief Mate
A Chief Mate or Chief Officer, usually also synonymous with the First Mate or First Officer , is a licensed member and head of the deck department of a merchant ship...
of the Kirkpool. The ship was finished off with a torpedo.
All of Thor's victims thus far were near the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, in the shipping lanes. The Kriegsmarine High Command (SKL) ordered Thor to move into the Indian Ocean, but was warned to be aware of Japanese submarines operating in the area.
On 10 May Thor's seaplane sighted the 7,130 ton Australian liner Nankin, en route to Bombay. From a distance of 13,000 yards, Thor opened fire with her 5.9" guns, scoring several hits. The Captain of the Nankin issued the order to abandon ship and lowered his flags. The crew attempted to scuttle the ship, but the German boarding party managed to repair the damage done to the ship's engines. The Nankin was renamed the Leuthen and taken as a prize ship to rendezvous with the Regensburg. Following resupply and prisoner transfer, the Leuthen and Regensburg both travelled to Japanese held ports.
On 14 June Thor's radar picked up a contact at 10,000 yards, and by using a converging course, was able to approach to within 1,800 yards, Thor attacked what turned out to be the 6,310 ton Dutch Shell tanker Olivia. The first salvo set the Olivia ablaze, killing most of the crew. The Third Officer
Third Officer
Third Officer may refer to:*Third Officer , a rarely used rank in civil aviation companies*Third mate, a merchant marine rank*A rank in the Women's Royal Naval Service corresponding to Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Navy...
, 3 other Dutchmen and 8 Chinese were able to lower a single boat, but Thor was only able to locate one man in the water. These 12 men were adrift for a month before their boat capsized in the breakers off Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
; 1 Dutch and 7 Chinese sailors had died during the month at sea.
Five days later on the 19th, Thor intercepted the Norwegian oil tanker Herborg. Her seaplane disabled Herborg's radio aerial, and a warning salvo from Thor brought Herborg to a stop. The entire crew was taken aboard Thor, and a prize crew took the renamed Hohenfriedburg to Japan.
On 4 July Thor stopped another Norwegian oil tanker, the 5,895 ton Madrono. The Madrono was halted in the same manner as Herborg, and a prize crew took her to Japan as well, renamed as Rossbach. The Rossbach was eventually torpedoed by the American submarine USS Burrfish
USS Burrfish (SS-312)
USS Burrfish , a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the burrfish, a swellfish of the Atlantic coast....
, in the Kii Channel, Japan, in May 1944.
Thor's tenth and final victim came on 20 July, the British refrigerated freighter Indus. Indus was determined to put up a fight, and turned away at full speed, firing with her stern gun, though she only fired two shots before a shell from Thor hit the gun directly, killing the chief gunner and destroying the gun. The freighter's radio operator kept up a steady stream of distress signals, until another shell from Thor hit the bridge, killing him and knocking out the radio, and setting the bridge on fire. The Indus was now a raging inferno, and most of her crew went overboard. Thor ceased firing, and began rescue operations, picking up 49 survivors, before finishing Indus off.
Thor transferred her prisoners to the blockade runner
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
Tannenfels, and made for Yokohama, Japan, by way of Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Indonesia.
Fate
Thor arrived in Yokohama on 9 October 1942 where she commenced refitting in preparation for a third voyage. However on 30 November a series of explosions on the supply ship Uckermark destroyed her superstructure, sending a large amount of burning debris onto Thor, which was moored alongside. Both ships were rapidly set ablaze, along with the Nankin/Leuthen and the Japanese freighter Unkai Maru. All four ships were destroyed in the fire, and twelve of Thor's crew were killed. Thor was wrecked beyond repair, and was abandoned. Her captain, Kapitän zur See (CaptainCaptain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
) Gumprich, later commanded the raider Michel
German auxiliary cruiser Michel
Michel 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 , she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine at the outbreak of World War II and converted...
on her second raiding voyage, from which he did not return.
A number of survivors of the ship were sent to France on the blockade runner
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
Doggerbank and perished when the ship was mistakenly sunk by the German submarine U-43 on 3 March 1943 with all but one of the 365 strong crew lost at sea.