Maritime History
German auxiliary cruiser Thor
Thor (HSK 4, Schiff 10 or Raider E) was a German auxiliary cruiser of the Kriegsmarine in the Second World War, intended for service as a commerce raider. The ship was named after the Germanic deity Thor, known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 10 and to the British as Raider E. Thor began its first cruise on 6 June 1940 with Captain Otto Kähler and returned via the Bay of Biscay on 23 April 1941, having spent 329 days at sea and sank or taken as prize twelve ships of 96,547 GRT. After a refit, Thor began its second cruise with a new captain Günther Gumprich. After colliding with and sinking a Swedish ore carrier and a period in dock for repairs, Thor sailed on 30 November 1941. Thor docked at Yokohama on 9 October 1942, having sunk or captured ten ships of 55,587 GRT on a voyage of 328 days. On 30 November, the tanker Uckermark docked next to Thor and soon afterwards began to explode and set Thor on fire. Gumbrich rallied the survivors and took on the raider Michel with a composite crew. Michel sank another three ships, then while hunting in the Pacific, Michel was torpedoed by USS Tarpon. Michel sank with the loss of Gumbrich and 262 men. Some survivors were taken back to Germany by Doggerbank, a blockade-runner that was mistakenly sunk near the Canary Islands by U-43 with only one survivor.
Also on this shelf
HMAS Arunta (I30).
HMS Active (1799).
See also
- ▸248th (Welwyn) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery
- ▸Hisense
- ▸Coastal fortifications of New Zealand
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