German commerce raiders in World War I

At the outbreak of war, the East Asia Squadron was at sea and sailed eastwards across the Pacific to attack British and Allied shipping.

Emden was dispatched on a solo raiding voyage in the Indian Ocean, which was highly successful and the East Asia Squadron headed for Chile to secure supplies of coal.

Two British warships were sunk and one sailing ship in his five months' voyage before the East Asia Squadron was destroyed; his detached light cruisers, with one exception, also achieved little.

After leaving the East Asia Squadron at Pagan Island in August, Emden captured and disposed of sixteen Allied ships and two warships in a four-month career that ranged over the eastern Indian Ocean.

Lack of coal limited her operations and fear of being cornered in a harbour led to her captain taking refuge in the Rufiji River delta.

On 4 November 1914, 300 nmi (350 mi; 560 km) east of Barbados, Karlsruhe suffered a calamitous internal explosion, killing Kohler and 260 members of the crew.

Before the secret of her loss was exposed in March 1915, Karlsruhe exerted an influence as a ghost ship on British naval strategy, forcing the Allies to guard against possible attacks.

Before the war the Kaiserliche Marine had listed thirteen fast passenger liners for conversion into auxiliary cruisers and another seven ships, express mail steamers, to serve as supply vessels.

The Kaiserliche Marine converted three of the six ships in home ports, though Cap Polonio, as Vineta and Victoria Louise were deemed unsuitable and returned to their owners.

Only Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse carried out a raiding voyage; Cap Finisterre, Prinz Ludwig and Kaiserin August Victoria) were not taken up for conversion and remained in civilian hands.

Cap Trafalgar was similarly sunk at the Battle of Trindade by the Armed merchant cruiser (AMC) Carmania, before making any captures.

The most successful of these auxiliaries was Kronprinz Wilhelm, remaining at large for eight months and taking thirteen prizes before she too was interned in April 1915 at Newport News.

Lacking the cruiser's speed and gun armament to overawe its victims, the U-boats were increasingly faced with ships that would resist capture by running or as more and more became defensively armed, by fighting back.

Möwe was able to extend her range by taking fuel and supplies from her prizes; she also outfitted one of them (commissioned as Geier) to act as an auxiliary and sent another back to Germany for conversion into a raider.

Also in November 1916 another raider, also called Wolf, started a voyage of 15 months, to South Africa, the Indian Ocean and Australia, sinking 14 ships and laying mines that destroyed 15 more.

In December 1916 the most unusual raider, Seeadler, set out; a fully rigged sailing ship (though equipped with auxiliary motors) Seeadler sailed all the way to the South Pacific and sank 13 ships before being wrecked on a reef after eight months of operations The last raider, Leopard, (the prize sent in by Möwe) set out in March 1917, but she too was intercepted by the RN blockade and in a fierce gun-battle was sunk with all hands.