The German battleship disguised as a British armed passenger ship and was attacked by the ship itself.
In 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I, the German SMS Tra Tragargar was disguised as a British merchant ship, HMS Carmania, to deceive the enemy ships before fierce fighting and bombardment. However, the fate of its first rival, the HMS Carmania, turned into a fierce naval battle between two armed ships, according to WATM.
Both Cap Trafalgar and HMS Carmania were passenger ships converted into warships to attack the enemy's transport. Cap Trafalgar was launched on July 31, 1913, 187 m long, 22 m wide, with displacement of 23,640 tons and carrying 1,600 passengers. By August 1914, the ship arrived in South America to install weapons and receive more naval officers.
After the conversion, Cap Trafalgar was equipped with two 104 mm guns and six 37 mm automatic guns, all of which were commanded by experienced German naval officers. The ship was codenamed Hilfskreuzer B (auxiliary cruiser B), commanded by Julius Wirth.
The Carmania luxury passenger carrier was launched February 21, 1905 with a length of 198 m and a width of 22 m. When World War I broke out, the ship was converted into an armed merchant ship, carrying eight 120cc caliber cannons and commanded by navy colonel Noel Grant.
After the cruise of the British merchant ships failed, on September 13, 1914, Cap Trafalgar returned to the logistics base on Trindade Island south of Atlantic Ocean to refuel.
The following day, the Carmania on a cruise ship search and German logistics base discovered a smoke column at the port of Trindade. Hours later, the Carmania approached Trindade and shocked the German troops on the island when they saw two identical ships.
The captain quickly ordered the fight and moved the ship to the open waters off Trindade, in order to increase the mobile space and gain a favorable position for attacking the enemy.
British and German warships began to fight from a distance of 6.5 km. Carmania fired too early and missed the target, while Cap Trafalgar hit the target. In the next two hours, Carmania was hit by 79 rounds, with 304 holes in the body, many of which were below the water, and the command post was completely destroyed by German shells.
chien-ham-duc-tra-gia-dong-gia-tien-chau-anh-in-chien-i-1
The battle between the two luxury passenger ships was converted. Picture: Wikipedia.
However, when the distance was shortened, the 120 mm cannon on the British battleship began to inflict damage on Cap Trafalgar. The German ship suffered a total of 73 rounds, resulting in 380 holes. Both ships were on fire, while sailors used rifles and machine guns to throw themselves at the enemy from a distance of several hundred meters. A witness describing the battle resembles that of the early 19th century battles rather than World War I.
Even with less ammunition, the German ship suffered heavy casualties as a shell exploded in the body, destroying many of the cavities below sea level. The Cap Trafalgar tilted sideways and sank for 10 minutes after the captain ordered the ship abandoned. A total of 16 crew members were killed, including Captain Wirth, with 279 men evacuated and captured by the British.
Carmania suffered as much damage as 9 people were killed, 26 wounded, fire burned and all cannons were disabled. The British ship must return to port in Brazil under the escort of another cruiser.
Viet Hoa
