In the Second World War she was a supply ship for German auxiliary cruisers in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Their dimensions were similar to those of Seattle and Oakland, but the layout of their hatches and derricks was slightly different, and they lacked refrigeration equipment.

Kulmerland had a single screw, driven by an AEG six-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine.

[7] Kulmerland's navigation equipment included submarine signalling and wireless direction finding.

[7] On 19 April 1932 the Latvian cargo ship Selonija caught fire and sank in the North Atlantic off the west coast of Galicia at position 41°56′N 9°31′W / 41.933°N 9.517°W / 41.933; -9.517.

On 4 October 1940 she left Kobe disguised as the Japanese ship Tokyo Maru, carrying fuel oil and other supplies to replenish the auxiliary cruisers Komet and Orion.

At sea she met Komet, which was disgiused as the Japanese ship Manyo Maru, and had just reached the Pacific via the Northeast Passage and the Bering Strait.

The pair met Orion and her supply ship Regensburg at Lamotrek atoll in the Caroline Islands on 18 October.

[11] On 29 November the Fernost-Verband reached the Kermadec Islands, where they redistributed their prisoners of war (PoWs) and civilian internees between them.

[12][13] The Fernost-Verband headed for Nauru, to attack Allied cargo ships carrying phosphorite from the island.

The Fernost-Verband then went west to Emirau in the Bismarck Archipelago, where on 21 December Kulmerland refuelled Orion and the Germans disembarked 514 captives.

Orion headed for the Indian Ocean, while Kulmerland returned to Japan, where she arrived on 31 December.

[17][18] On 3 September 1941 Kulmerland left Kobe carrying fuel oil, supplies, and white metal engine parts for the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran.