She was the first armed merchant cruiser sunk by a ship of the same class; she was destroyed by HMS Carmania,[2] also a converted ocean liner, in a furious action in the South Atlantic on 14 September 1914.

[4][5] Her upper decks included a swimming pool and a cafe in a greenhouse while her 1st class halls and stairwells were full of beautiful gold filigree, and her staterooms were furnished in the highest fashion of the period.

She was armed with two 4.1 inch guns and six one-pounder pom-poms (named for the sound they made while firing), all manned by experienced naval personnel, and given the mission to sink British merchant shipping.

After a fruitless initial cruise, Cap Trafalgar returned on 13 September to the secret supply base at Trindade Island to take on fuel from German colliers.

[citation needed] The RMS Carmania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company for the Cunard Line.

Following the outbreak of World War I, Carmania was converted into an armed merchant cruiser, equipped with eight 4.7-inch guns, and put under the command of Captain Noel Grant.

Carmania spotted Cap Trafalgar's smoke early in the morning and some hours later was able to surprise the German ship with two colliers in the island's only harbour.

Carmania fared worse than her opponent in the ensuing two hours,[dubious – discuss] being hit 79 times, holed below the waterline and having her bridge totally destroyed by shellfire.

It was at this point that Cap Trafalgar's contemporary the armed merchant cruiser SS Kronprinz Wilhelm arrived, seemingly to provide the coup de grace for the shattered ship.