German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin Pinguin was a German auxiliary cruiser ( " Hilfskreuzer " ) which served as a commerce raider in World War II . The " Pinguin " was known to the " Kriegsmarine " as Schiff 33 , and designated HSK 5 . The most successful commerce raider of the war , she was known to the British Royal Navy as Raider F . Early history . Formerly a freighter named " Kandelfels " , she was built by Deschimag A . G . Weser in 1936 , and was owned and operated by the Hansa Line , Bremen . She was the sister - ship of the " Kybfels " , and a half - sister of the " Goldenfels " ( built by Bremer Vulkan ) , which was converted into the raider . In the winter of 1939 / 40 , she was requisitioned by the " Kriegsmarine " ( KM ) and converted to a warship by Deschimag A . G . Weser , Bremen . Her main armament , six 150 mm L / 45 C / 13 guns was taken from the obsolete battleship and she was also fitted with one 75 mm cannon , one twin 37 mm anti - aircraft mounting , four 20 mm anti - aircraft guns , and two single 53 . 3 cm torpedo tubes for 16 torpedoes . She was supplied with two Heinkel He 114A - 2 seaplanes and 300 seamines . She also carried 25 G7a torpedoes and 80 U - Boat mines for replenishing U - boats . " Pinguin " voyage . " Pinguin " was one of the first wave of raiders sent out by the " Kriegsmarine " , sailing on 15 June 1940 under the command of " Fregattenkapitän " ( later " Kapitän zur See " ) Ernst - Felix Krüder and disguised as an anonymous naval transport ship with an escort from the minesweeper " Nautilus " . The escort duties were taken over by the " Sperrbrecher IV " on 18 June and later by the Möwe - class torpedo - boat " Falke " and the Wolf - class " Jaguar " . The convoy then sailed through the Great Belt into the Kattegat . The three - ship convoy passed through the Skagerrak on the 19 June with Luftwaffe air cover from a Dornier Do 18 flying boat and two fighters and entered the North Sea . Her escort was reinforced with the minesweepers " M17 " and " M18 " , and they headed up the coast of Norway , passing Bergen on 20 June where the torpedo boats departed . " Schiff 33 " and the minesweepers carrying on northwards to Sörgulenfjord . In the fjord the grey German auxiliary " Schiff 33 " was transformed into a black - hulled Soviet cargo ship " Petschura " with hammer and sickle markings . They emerged from the fjord on the 22 June en route to the Denmark Strait . " Schiff 33 " s mission was to rendezvous with and replenish submarine " U - A " off the Cape Verde and then to disrupt traffic in the Indian Ocean and lay mines off Australian and Indian ports . She was then to head south to seek out the British and Norwegian whaling fleets in the Antarctic . The convoy headed into heavy weather and high winds and the two minesweepers turned back . Sailing westwards at 15 knots a surfacing submarine was spotted and on sighting the " Petschura " disappeared . Assuming it was British the " Petschura " headed northwards to give the impression of a ‘ Soviet ’ ship headed for Murmansk . Surfacing again the submarine increased speed and gave chase signalling first " What ship ? " and on being ignored " Heave to , or we open fire ! " The " Petschura " continued at full speed and left the submarine behind . The " Petschura " continued northeasterly up the coast of Norway . On the 28 June " Pinguin " headed south surrounded by icebergs . She inched southwards until June 29 she sailed through the Denmark Strait into the Atlantic on 1 July to rendezvous with " U - A " on 18 July . On 10 July she was re - camouflaged as the Greek " Kassos " . On 18 July " U - A " had serious engine troubles and because of bad weather it was not safe to transfer the torpedoes , water and stores . They decided to seek calmer waters to the south transferring 70 tons of diesel fuel to the submarine en route . On 20 July in calmer waters 700 miles south - west of the Cape Verde they started the replenishment . It was first time a submarine was ever re - supplied at sea by a raider . Unable to come alongside because of the risk of damaging her hydroplanes the first day was spent improvising methods to close the gap . The eleven torpedoes had to be ferried across on flotation bags and it was not completed until 25 July . The " Pinguin " then continued south towing " U - A " to save fuel until the shipping lanes off Freetown where the U - Boat unsuccessfully pursued a tanker . " Pinguin " then towed her again until 28 July . " Domingo de Larrinaga " . On 31 July three hundred miles north - west of Ascension Island , a ship was sighted . It also spotted the raider and turned away , sending a QQQ signal . Trying to jam the distress signals , the " Pinguin " gave chase . She ran up her battle flag and dropped its camouflage , signalling to the vessel to stop and not to use her wireless or she would be fired upon . When the commands were ignored , warning shots were fired across her bows from her 75 mm gun . Four more warning shots were fired , but she did not stop ; the distress signals continued and her crew were seen to be manning their stern - mounted gun . The " Pinguin " opened fire with her main armament on the freighter ' s bridge with several hits . The freighter on fire slowed to a halt and her crew were seen to be abandoning ship . The British freighter " Domingo de Larrinaga " was on her way from Bahía Blanca to Newcastle with 7 , 000 tons of grain and a crew of thirty - six . A heavily armed boarding party found eight crewmen dead on the ship . The party included the " Pinguin " s surgeon , and two sick bay attendants were sent to care for the wounded . Scuttling charges were placed in the freighter ' s engine room . The charges failed to explode and she had to be sunk by a torpedo . The survivors were taken on board the " Pinguin " . " Filefjell " captured . On 20 August the " Pinguin " rounded the Cape of Good Hope . On 26 August south of Madagascar one of the " Pinguin " s seaplanes with RAF markings was launched . It found a tanker and the pilot dropped a message onto its deck ordering her to " Alter cours to 180° distance 140 miles on account of vicinity of enemy raider " " From that point take up cours direct to 31°N 37°E " " thence you get further informations " " Do not use wireless " . This was to try to lead her straight to the " Pinguin " . The tanker appeared to obey this command later was found trying to escape at top speed . The plane was relaunched . When it found her again it ripped away her radio aerials and strafed her bridge with cannon and machine gun fire . The plane set down and ordered her to " Remain stopping here " " cruiser " Cumberland " will go with you " and to show her navigation lights . The tanker was loaded with 10 , 000 tons of high - octane aviation fuel and 500 tons of oil surrendered and switched on its lights . Guided by the lights the " Pinguin " arrived and its boarding party identified the vessel as the Norwegian ship " Filefjell " chartered by the British Admiralty on her way from the Persian Gulf to Cape Town . A prize crew was placed on board the tanker . It was decided to take the " Filefjell " to a quiet area to transfer the 500 tons of oil to the " Pinguin " . " British Commander " . On 27 August a ship was spotted sailing blacked - out and with no lights . The " Filefjell " was ordered to drop back . The " Pinguin " shadowed the ship for an hour then signalled for her to stop and had a warning shot fired across her bows . The ship obeyed and identifying itself as the tanker " British Commander " . She then radioed QQQ distress signals giving her position and reported that she was being attacked by a merchant raider . The " Pinguin " s searchlight spotted that the enemy ' s 4 - inch gun mounted on her stern had been manned and ordered its gunners to open fire . The tanker was hit several times and set on fire . The tanker captain stopped the ship and instructed his crew to abandon ship . A torpedo failed to sink her , and forty 150 mm shells were then fired to sink her . The " Pinguin " then picked up the tanker ' s 45 - man crew and headed out into the Indian Ocean at full speed . " Morviken " . Another freighter was then spotted . The " Pinguin " came alongside . It signalled to her that she would sink her if she did not stop . A 75 mm warning shot was fired across her bows . The ship then halted with no resistance and no signal sent . It was identified by the boarding party as the Norwegian ship " Morviken " . It was heading for Calcutta from Cape Town . The crew of 35 was taken on board along with her motor - cutter then the ship was scuttled . " Filefjell " sunk . The " Pinguin " and the " Filefjell " sailed south - east away from the shipping routes to transfer the 500 tons of fuel oil and then scuttling charges were set on the " Filefjell " . The charges detonated but the ship did not explode . 75 mm gunfire was then used to try and sink her , but two 150 mm shells were needed to ignite the petrol in the tanks , sending a massive fireball into the sky . " Trafalgar " . It was decided that " Pinguin " should adopt the identity of the Wilhelmsen cargo - liner " Trafalgar " . On 31 August the transformation took place at a remote spot . The " Pinguin " drifted for five days until 5 September . The " Pinguin " then launched its seaplane to survey the area but it crashed on take off . The plane burst into flames and sank . The crew were in the water . The ship ' s only radio telephone was on the plane . It operated on a wavelength undetectable to Allied shipping . The " Pinguin " s technicians needed calm weather to assemble the second aircraft that was stowed below in a crate . The " Pinguin " had lost the ability to silence enemy radios by tearing away their aerials and that future enemy ships that sent signals would have to be fired on , increasing the chance of crews being killed . By 10 September work was completed on the " Pinguin " and it had a black hull with a white band all the way around , white upperworks and a black funnel with two light - blue bands . " Benavon " . It was decided to make one more sortie off Madagascar before heading for Australian waters to lay mines . On 12 September early a freighter was spotted 330 miles east of the island . The " Pinguin " closed fast on a deliberate ‘ collision course ’ ; the freighter maintained hers in accordance with the International Collision Regulations until the two ships were just over a mile apart . At this point the freighter sounded a long warning blast of its whistle . The freighter turned away from the raider . The " Pinguin " ran up its battle ensign and de - camouflaged . The freighter crew manned her 4 - inch gun and increased her speed to escape . The freighter was signalled to stop and a 75 mm warning shot was fired . The freighter fired back , hitting the " Pinguin " with a shell that ricocheted off the surface of the sea and pierced her port side ending up in the crew ' s quarters close to the storage compartment containing three hundred high - explosive mines . The shells fired by the " Benavon " had no fuse caps fitted and it did not explode . One of " Pinguin " s crew picked up the shell with his cap and threw it through the hole it had made in the ship ' s hull into the sea . The " Pinguin " fired back , putting the freighter ' s gun and wireless out of action . It destroyed most of her lifeboats and set her on fire . The freighter ' s captain gave the order to abandon ship , but the bridge was hit and he was killed along with his deck officers and radio operator . A boarding party found five men on board , three of them wounded . They and the twenty - four others that had already abandon ship were taken on board the " Pinguin " . The total number of survivors was twenty - eight . The ship was identified as the British freighter " Benavon " on her way to London from Manila and Singapore with a cargo of hemp , jute and rubber . It had a crew of forty - nine and was armed with one 4 - inch and one 3 - inch anti - aircraft gun . Three of the wounded died of their injuries after boarding the " Pinguin " , and they were buried with full military honours . " Nordvard " . The " Pinguin " was instructed by the " Seekriegsleitung " to set course eastward along the busy sea route between Australia and South Africa . Four days later , on 16 September , a ship was sighted and stopped without any signals being sent , no gunfire . The ship was identified by the boarding party as the Norwegian ship " Nordvard " en route from Fremantle to Port Elizabeth with a cargo of 7 , 500 tons of Australian grain and a crew of thirty . A prize crew was put aboard the ship along with over hundred prisoners and was sent to Bordeaux and arrived there on 22 November . " Storstad " . The " Pinguin " headed north - eastwards towards the Sunda Strait to the shipping lanes between India and Australia . On 27 September the sea was calm enough to allow the spare seaplane to be assembled . Ernst - Felix Krüder and his navigation officer " Leutnant " Wilhelm Michaelson conceived and developed a plan to lay mines in six Australian and Tasmanian sea lanes , but it would require two ships . On 7 October off Christmas Island a vessel crossing the raider ' s path was flagged down and ordered to stop with a 75 mm warning shot . The vessel stopped and surrendered . The vessel was identified as the Norwegian motor - tanker " Storstad " carrying a cargo of 12 , 000 tons of diesel oil and 500 tons of heavy fuel oil . She was on her way from British North Borneo to Melbourne . The " Storstad " was suitable for use as an auxiliary minelayer . Under a prize crew the " Storstad " was taken to a remote spot between Java and the north - west tip of Australia to be converted into an auxiliary minelayer . The " Storstad " was stripped and her after accommodation space was transformed into a mine deck with launching rails . One hundred and ten mines were transferred from the " Pinguin " in the motorboat that was taken from the " Morviken " . 1 , 200 tons of the diesel oil was transferred from the " Storstad " to the " Pinguin " . " Passat " and mine laying . The " Storstad " was commissioned into the German Navy as the auxiliary minelayer " Passat " . The " Passat " was placed under the command of Lieutenant Erich Warning and had a crew of three officers , eight petty officers and nineteen ratings plus five members of her original Norwegian crew who volunteered to work in the engine room . On 12 October the " Passat " headed for the Banks Strait off Tasmania and for the east and west ends of the Bass Strait on the approaches to Melbourne . The " Pinguin " headed for the ports of Sydney , Newcastle , Hobart and laid mines also in waters west - south - west of the Neptune Islands off the coast of South Australia . Between 28 October and 7 November the two ships laid their mine and arranged to meet again 700 miles west of Perth on 15 November . On 7 November refrigerated cargo liner hit one of the " Passat " s mines and sank at the eastern approach to the Bass Strait with the loss of one man . On 9 November at the western end of the strait American freighter hit another of its mines sinking with the loss of only one man . On 5 December mines laid by the " Pinguin " sank the Australian coaster with the loss of seven men . On 7 December another " Pinguin " mine badly damaging the " Hertford " . On 26 March 1941 the fishing trawler " Millimumul " sank with the loss of one man . On 15 November the two ships rendezvoused at a point 700 miles west of Perth . The two ships maintained strict radio silence during the month - long operation . " Nowshera " . On 16 November the " Passat " was de - commissioned and resumed her original name of " Storstad " . Her German crew was reduced to eighteen and twenty Norwegian volunteers supplementing the five already on board . The " Storstad " was instructed to act as a scout ship for the " Pinguin " . The two ships headed northwards before swinging westwards and on 17 November smoke was sighted on the horizon ahead of a large freighter . The " Pinguin " pinned the freighter in the beam of her searchlight and a warning shot was put across her bows . The freighter was signalled to stop and maintain radio silence or she would be fired upon . The freighter halted , and a boarding party identified the ship as the British motor ship " Nowshera " on her way from Adelaide to Durban and the UK . Her cargo was zinc ore , wheat , wool and other assorted piece goods . The freighter had a crew of one hundred and thirteen , and was armed with a Japanese - made 4 - inch gun on her stern and an even older Lewis machine gun on the bridge . Whatever goods and provisions the " Pinguin " needed were taken from the " Nowshera " and she was then scuttled . " Maimoa " . The " Pinguin " then departed southwards . On 20 November smoke was spotted on the horizon . The " Pinguin " established that it was from a large westbound cargo ship . The " Pinguin " launched its newly assembled seaplane in order to snatch the ship ' s wireless aerials or if necessary to bomb her . The seaplane failed to snatch the aerials on its first attempt . The aircrew then dropped a weighted bag onto the ship ' s bridge with a message commanding her captain to stop his engines and to maintain radio silence or be attacked . The commands were not obeyed , and the ship ' s radio operator sent signals reporting that they were being attacked from the air . The seaplane then dropped two small bombs in front of the ship . A second attempt was made to snatch the aerials which succeeded . The seaplane came under machine - gun and rifle fire hitting it several times . The seaplane fired back . The seaplane was forced to land on the water with a perforated petrol tank and one of its floats damaged . The aircrew crouched down in the cockpit , expecting the freighter ' s gunners to finish them off , which they could easily have done . The " Pinguin " slowed down to half speed and in a risky manoeuvre ‘ dropped ’ a boat with a three - man crew beside the seaplane then pursued the cargo ship . The " Pinguin " s battle flag was hoisted and at the maximum effective range of twelve miles for the 150 mm guns she opened fire . Two salvos were fired , one long and the other falling short , forcing the cargo ship to a halt . A boarding party identified the ship as the coal - burning refrigeration ship " Maimoa " . The ship was en route to the UK from Fremantle via Durban . Its cargo was 5 , 000 tons of frozen meat , 1 , 500 tons of butter , 1 , 500 tons of grain , 16 million eggs packed and 100 tons of piece goods . The ship was scuttled and her crew of eighty - seven was taken on board the " Pinguin " . The next morning the seaplane was hoisted back on board the " Pinguin " . " Port Brisbane " . The " Storstad " reported an enemy freighter was nearby . The " Pinguin " closed in on the freighter . When it was pitch dark the " Pinguin " fixed her searchlight beam on the freighter . A warning shot was fired and she was signalled to stop and maintain radio silence . The searchlight beam revealed two manned 6 - inch guns on the freighter ' s after deck so the " Pinguin " opened fire on the freighter . All eight shots of the first salvo registering hits . The freighter ' s radio room was destroyed killing the radio operator and the bridge was set on fire . The funnel was smashed and the steering gear was jammed sending her around in circles . The crew then abandoned ship . The ship was identified as the refrigerated freighter " Port Brisbane " . The freighter was on her way from Adelaide to Britain via Durban . She had a cargo of 5 , 000 tons of frozen meat , butter and cheese and 3 , 000 tons of wool , lead and piece goods . The " Port Brisbane " had a crew of eighty - seven but only sixty men and one woman passenger were picked up by the " Pinguin " . The other twenty - seven slipped away in a lifeboat in the darkness . Scuttling charges failed to sink the " Port Brisbane " quickly enough so a torpedo was fired to finish her off . After unsuccessfully looking for the missing lifeboat the " Pinguin " headed south - westwards . " Port Wellington " . The " Pinguin " headed south and then west followed by the " Storstad " . By 28 November the " Pinguin " s appearance had been altered by being painted black . Two days later the " Storstad " reported a ship on the horizon . The " Storstad " was sent to a rendezvous point . The " Pinguin " closed to within a mile of other ship and opened fire without warning . The first salvo destroying the control centre and the radio room killing the radio operator and mortally wounding the ships captain . The ship ' s steering gear was out of action and she was on fire . The ship was identified as the British refrigerated freighter " Port Wellington " sister ship of the " Port Brisbane " . The " Port Wellington " was bound for England from Adelaide via Durban . She was armed with two 6 - inch and one 3 - inch gun . The " Port Wellington " was carrying 4 , 400 tons of frozen meat , butter , eggs , and cheese and 1 , 750 tons of steel , 1 , 200 tons of wheat . She had a crew of eighty - two and seven passengers . Eighty - one of the crewmen including the wounded captain ( who would later die from his injuries on board the " Pinguin " ) and the seven passengers , all of who were women , were picked up by the " Pinguin " . The " Port Wellington " was then scuttled . Atlantis rendezvous . From the eleven ships sunk by the " Pinguin " she had four hundred and five prisoners on board . Ernst - Felix Krüder notified the " Seekriegsleitung " that he was sending them to Europe on board the " Storstad " . The " Storstad " still had 10 , 800 tons of diesel oil on board and 3 , 000 tons of diesel oil was transferred to the " Pinguin " before she left . It was arranged for the , and the to be re - fueled by the " Storstad " . On 8 December The " Pinguin " and the " Atlantis " met in the western Indian Ocean . The next day the " Storstad " arrived and the re - fuelling commenced . The " Pinguin " then set course southwards for her rendezvous with the whaling fleets in the Antarctic Ocean south of Bouvet Island . Norwegian whaling fleet captured . On 17 December the " Seekriegsleitung " signalled that the whaling fleet was to be found in the area around South Georgia and that the names of the Norwegian factory ship s involved were the " Harpon " , " Pelagos " , " Thorshammer " , " Vestfjord " and " Ole Wegger " . All of the factory ships were under British charter . On Christmas Eve the " Pinguin " intercepted the open - frequency chatter between two of the factory ships the " Ole Wegger " and the " Pelagos " . They learned that the whalers were awaiting a supply ship which was overdue , that the " Pelagos " was short of fuel and that the " Ole Wegger " s whale oil tanks were full to capacity . The " Ole Wegger " offered to transfer some of her surplus fuel to the " Pelagos " . Ernst - Felix Krüder decided that they would wait until the two ships were transferring the oil before making any move on them as they would be unmanoeuverable . Another intercepted signal established that the approaching supply ship was the Norwegian whale - oil tanker " Solglimt " . The " Solglimt " first attended to the " Thorshammer " which was operating 400 miles to the south - west . Ernst - Felix Krüder then decided to wait for the " Solglimt " to arrive . On 13 January 1941 the " Solglimt " arrived and tied up alongside the " Ole Wegger " . On the 14 of January as the two ships lay side by side the " Pinguin " approached from the west . The " Pinguin " slipped alongside the " Solglimt " and the two ships were ordered to maintain radio silence . The " Pinguin " launched two prize crews . The " Solglimt " had 4 , 000 tons of whale oil and 4 , 000 tons of fuel . She had a crew of sixty . The " Ole Wegger " had 7 , 000 tons of whale oil and 5 , 500 tons of fuel . She had a crew of one hundred and ninety . Both ships were captured within forty - five minutes . The Norwegian captains were told to continue with their whaling and that the Reich would pay them for their work . The " Pinguin " dispatched a motor boat to round up the whalers , three of which managed to escape . The remaining four , the " Torlyn " , " Pol VIII " , " Pol IX " and " Pol X " , were captured without incident . In order to confuse the Norwegians the " Pinguin " sailed in the opposite direction to where the third factory ship was . Once out of sight , she turned and approached the brightly lit vessel in dense fog . Coming in at full speed to within 200 metres , the " Pinguin " signalled warnings and dispatched prize crews . The factory ship " Pelagos " was captured within minutes . Its several catchers were nearby engaged in their work . The " Pelagos " had 9 , 500 tons of whale oil and 800 tons of fuel . It had a crew of 210 . The captain of the " Pelagos " was instructed to recall his catchers - the " Star XIV " , " Star XIX " , " Star XX " , " Star XXI " , " Star XXII " , " Star XXIII " and " Star XXIV " . The " Pinguin " s operation against the Norwegian whaling fleet was the single most successful performance by a German auxiliary cruiser during World War II . More than 36 , 000 tons of shipping , a supply - ship , two factory ships , eleven whalers , 20 , 000 tons of whale oil with a valued of over four million US dollars , and 10 , 000 tons of fuel oil were captured . This was all done without a single shot being fired and without any casualties . The Norwegians continued to work as if nothing had happened and made no effort to resist . The " Pinguin " then made a five - day dash at top - speed to the north - west past Bouvet Island and over half - way to the South Sandwich Islands . Her wireless operators sent a long coded message home knowing that every wireless station in the region would pick it up and discover their position . The " Pinguin " then sailed back to the captured Norwegian fleet , after intercepting a variety of British signals confirming the success of the ploy . The fifteen ships set off eastwards with the " Pinguin " in the lead and the three factory and supply ships at the rear . The " Pinguin " could not provide prize crews for all the ships . The " Ole Wegger " transferred 7 , 000 tons of whale oil to the " Solglimt " s storage tanks . The " Solglimt " and the " Pelagos " then departed on 25 January with their 10 , 000 tons of whale oil to France , the " Pelagos " reaching Bordeaux on 11 March and the " Solglimt " on 16 March . Instructions from the " Seekriegsleitung " told the " Pinguin " to bring the " Ole Wegger " and all eleven of the catchers to a mid - Atlantic rendezvous at Point Andalusia north of the island of Tristan da Cunha . There the " Pinguin " was to meet the tanker " Nordmark " , which had on board prize crews for the remaining whalers . This meeting took place on 15 February . The " Nordmark " was towing the refrigerator ship " Herzogin " , formerly the British ship " Duquesa " . On 18 February the supply - ship " Alstertor " arrived as well . It had a fresh supply of torpedoes , mines , a crated Arado Ar - 196 seaplane and mail for the " Pinguin " s crew . They then proceeded with the whaling ships to the Kerguelen Islands , where the replenishing could take place in safety . The " Herzogin " which supplied half the German Navy with meat and eggs had run out of everything that could be burned to keep her refrigeration plant working . Her entire bridge structure , lifeboat derricks , masts and all teak decking had been burned and she was going to have to be sunk . The " Pinguin " was restocked with 360 , 000 eggs , 47 sides of beef , 410 sheep and 17 sacks of oxtails from " Herzogin " before the scuttling charges were set . The " Ole Wegger " and ten of the catchers arrived at the rendezvous and they were manned with skeleton crews of armed Germans before departing for Europe . The newest catcher the " Pol IX " , was retained as an auxiliary minelayer and renamed the " Adjutant " . Two of the catchers " Star XIX " and " Star XXIV " were stopped by the British sloop " " off Cape Finisterre on 13 March . The German crews scuttled them and were then picked up by the British . The " Ole Wegger " and the other eight catchers arrived at Bordeaux on 20 March . Replenishment . The " Pinguin " received orders to rendezvous with the to the south of Saint Helena on 25 February in order to deliver 210 kilos of the white metal WM80 . The " Pinguin " headed south past the Prince Edward Islands and Crozet Island . The " Pinguin " rendezvoused with the 120 miles east of the Kerguelen Islands on 12 March . The " Adjutant " was sent ahead to take soundings at the entrances to the various bays and inlets of the Islands so that the " Pinguin " could steer clear rocks . The " Pinguin " followed the " Adjutant " into Gazelle Bay the sheltered natural harbour at Port Couvreux and tied up alongside the her on 13 March . The " Komet " departed on 14 March . The replenishment of the " Pinguin " began and one of the first items to be hoisted out of the " Alstertor " s holds was the Arado Ar - 196 seaplane . The " Adjutant " was converted into an auxiliary minelayer for her role in mining the approaches to the port of Karachi . The " Pinguin " s hull was scraped and cleaned of marine growth and barnacles by careening the ship from one side to the other to expose the hull . The new seaplane was assembled and the " Pinguin " s appearance was changed to take on the identity of the Norwegian liner " Tamerlane " . The " Pinguin " replenished her water supply from a waterfall using a gravity - feed system . By 22 March the replenishing of supplies from the " Alstertor " was complete . The " Pinguin " and the " Adjutant " departed the islands on 25 March . " Empire Light " . The " Pinguin " and the " Adjutant " headed north - eastwards for a rendezvous with a former Norwegian tanker and a supply - ship at Point Siberia , unaware that they had both been sunk . They spent a short time cruising the area around the Saya de Malha Bank before heading northwards , then spent the next three weeks searching to the north and south of the Seychelles . The " Pinguin " s seaplane made thirty - five flights looking for a tanker that would be a suitable auxiliary minelayer , but without success . On 24 April the " Adjutant " searching further to the north off the island of Mahé came across a large freighter . The vessel ' s course and speed was reported to the " Pinguin " . On the following day the " Pinguin " steamed past the " Adjutant " at full speed and opened fire shooting the freighter ' s wireless aerials away and crippling her steering gear with the first salvo , bringing her to a halt . The " Pinguin " dispatched a boarding party which identified the vessel as the British freighter " Empire Light " , on her way from Madras to Durban with a cargo of ore , hides and piece goods and a crew of seventy . Her steering had been so badly disabled that it could not be repaired and the ship had to be scuttled . " Clan Buchanan " . On 27 April the " Pinguin " s seaplane spotted a ship , which the " Pinguin " chased for five hours until another freighter was spotted . The first vessel was let go and the " Pinguin " turned after the second one . The " Pinguin " opened fire on the freighter from 5 , 000 metres the next morning . The freighter ' s radio room and steering gear were destroyed . The second salvo blew her 4 . 7 - inch gun into the engine room and she was abandoned by her 110 - man crew . Signals had been transmitted from an auxiliary wireless but they were weak . The freighter was identified as the British " Clan Buchanan " , en route from the United States to Madras with a cargo of military equipment . Her steering gear had been destroyed so she was scuttled . " British Emperor " . The " Pinguin " altered course towards the shipping routes between the Persian Gulf and Mozambique . The " Adjutant " was given instructions to proceed to Point Violet in the event of enemy activity . The " Clan Buchanan " s signals had been picked up by two stations . This resulted in the mobilisation of powerful naval forces on both sides of the Indian Ocean . The " Pinguin " was searching for a tanker to the north - west of the Indian Ocean near to the entrance of the Persian Gulf . On 7 May a small tanker was spotted . The " Pinguin " signaled to the tanker to heave to , but she refused to obey her radio operator transmitted distress signals describing their attacker and identifying herself as the British tanker " British Emperor " . The " Pinguin " s gunners fired a salvo of deliberate near misses to encourage the " British Emperor " to stop . The " British Emperor " held her course and continued sending SOS messages . The " Pinguin " then fired a salvo that destroyed the tanker ' s bridge and wheelhouse . The " British Emperor " veered off course and went round in circles trailing dense black smoke as her cargo ignited . The " British Emperor " came to a halt and the crew were seen jumping overboard . The " Pinguin " sent boats to pick them up . While the " Pinguin " s rescue party was alongside the " British Emperor " more distress signals were detected coming from the tanker . When the " Pinguin " s rescue boats hauled off the blazing tanker the raider ' s guns opened fire again tearing away the bridge structure and silencing the signals . In order to sink the " British Emperor " as quickly as possible a torpedo was fired . The torpedo began to circle requiring the " Pinguin " to turn sharply to her starboard . The torpedo passed twenty meters in front of the " Pinguin " s bows . A second torpedo missed the tanker but the third hit the " British Emperor " square amidships sinking her . The " Pinguin " departed south - eastwards . Sinking . The " British Emperor " s SOS signals were picked up as far away as Germany . They were also picked up on board the British cruiser five hundred miles to the south of the " Pinguin " . The " Cornwall " altered course to the north on the assumption that the " Pinguin " would probably be heading south as it was indeed . On 8 May the " Pinguin " spotted the silhouette of a British warship on the horizon . The " Pinguin " immediately altered course away from it at maximum speed in a south - westerly direction . The " Cornwall " s Supermarine Walrus searching the surrounding seas spotted the disguised " Pinguin " but was anxious not to attack an innocent ship . The Walrus returned four hours later and circled the " Pinguin " . The aircrew saw what appeared to be a typical Norwegian freighter . The " Pinguin " was flying the Norwegian ensign and had the name " Tamerlane " displayed on both sides of her bridge . The " Cornwall " was just sixty - five miles away from the " Pinguin " . The " Pinguin " s crew were wearing typical merchant marine clothing . The Walrus returned again an hour and a half later requesting the ship ' s identity , cargo and port of destination . The silhouette outline of the " Tamerlane " shown in the Talbot Booth shipping register Merchant Ships matched what the Walrus ' s observer had seen . The " Tamerlane " was not among the names on the list of merchant ships known to be in the area at that time . The Walrus aircrew had suspicions . The " Cornwall " at full speed headed south - west and launched seaplanes on the way . The " Pinguin " s lookouts spotted the " Cornwall " fast approaching . The " Pinguin " s crew were called to action stations . The " Pinguin " s guns remain concealed as she was still depending on her disguise as long as she could . The " Pinguin " send raider reports identifying herself as the Norwegian " Tamerlane " and claiming that she was being attacked by a German warship . The " Cornwall " s wireless operator reported that the signals were being sent on a British Merchant Navy transmitter . The " Cornwall " radioed to the circling Walrus to inform the ' Norwegians ' that the ship bearing down on them was British and to order them to heave to . The " Pinguin " adopted the classic defensive response of presenting her stern . The " Cornwall " closed to within 20 , 000 meters of the " Pinguin " and signalled to her three times by lamp ordering her to " Heave to , or I fire ! " . A warning shot was fired from one of the " Cornwall " s 8 - inch guns high and to the left of the " Pinguin " . The warning signals were repeated and another warning shot was fired . The " Cornwall " s second Walrus was prepared for launching armed with two 250 - pound bombs . It was ordered to drop the first bomb in front of the fleeing " Pinguin " and if that failed to halt her the second bomb was to be dropped on her forecastle . The " Cornwall " closed to 12 , 000 meters of the " Pinguin " . At 1714 on 8 May 1941 as the range of 8 , 000 metres the " Pinguin " dropped her disguise , ran up her battle flag , turned sharply to port to bring her full broadside to bear and opened up with five guns simultaneously , straddling the " Cornwall " . The " Cornwall " suffered a failure in the electrical circuit that controlled the training of her main gun turrets . The " Cornwall " broke off and retired out of range of the " Pinguin " s guns to carry out repairs . The " Cornwall " suffered a complete breakdown in the telephone link between the bridge and the guns and the line to the aircraft catapult . An officer was dispatched aft to order the waiting Walrus to bomb the " Pinguin " . However , it had suffered splinter damage and was unable to take off . The " Pinguin " registered her first direct hit putting the " Cornwall " s engine - room telegraph out of action and severing crucial wiring in her steering system . The " Cornwall " was put out of control . Another hit on the " Cornwall " started a small fire . Out of range of the " Pinguin " s guns the damage to her turret circuits on the " Cornwall " had been repaired . The first Walrus was spotting for the " Cornwall " s gunners and soon began to straddle the " Pinguin " . The " Cornwall " registered her first hit bringing down the foremast . Ernst - Felix Krüder gave the orders to release the prisoners and to set the scuttling charges and abandon ship . At that very moment a four - gun salvo from the " Cornwall " s 8 - inch forward turrets destroyed the " Pinguin " . The first shell struck the foredeck wiping out the two 150 mm guns on the forecastle head and their crews . The second shell hit the meteorological office and shattered the bridge killing Krüder and all but one other instantly . The third shell devastated the engine room . The fourth shell exploded in Hold Number 5 detonating the 130 high - explosive mines stored there ripping the after part of the " Pinguin " to pieces . Flames were sent thousands of feet into the air . Fragments of the " Pinguin " were scattered across the surface of the sea . The " Pinguin " was gone within five seconds . From beginning to end the action had lasted just 27 minutes . The " Pinguin " had fired over 200 shells at the " Cornwall " . The " Cornwall " fired 136 . The " Cornwall " s boats picked up sixty members of the " Pinguin " s crew and twenty - four of her former prisoners . Of the 401 Germans on board the " Pinguin " only three officers , one prize officer and fifty - seven petty officers and men survived . Of the 238 prisoners on the " Pinguin " only nine officers and fifteen seamen survived . Two hundred and fourteen prisoners , and three hundred and forty - one of the " Pinguin " s crew were lost . Raiding career . " Schiff 33 " , the " Pinguin " had sailed over 59 , 000 miles more than twice the circumference of the Earth in 357 days at sea . She sank or captured 28 ships , a total of 136 , 642 gross register tons . 52 , 000 tons was sent back to Germany under prize crews . A further four ships were sunk by mines , a total of 18 , 068 tons . The " Pinguin ' s " grand total amounts to 154 , 710 gross register tons . The " Pinguin " was the first of the Kriegsmarine ' s Auxiliary Cruisers to be sunk .