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id="toc-20th_century-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Armed_merchant_cruisers" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Armed_merchant_cruisers"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Armed merchant cruisers</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Armed_merchant_cruisers-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Auxiliary_cruisers" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Auxiliary_cruisers"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Auxiliary cruisers</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Auxiliary_cruisers-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Others" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Others"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Others</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Others-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-21st_century" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#21st_century"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>21st century</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-21st_century-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Ship_list" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Ship_list"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Ship list</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Ship_list-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-References-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle References subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Citations" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Citations"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.1</span> <span>Citations</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Citations-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Sources" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Sources"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.2</span> <span>Sources</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Sources-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" 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Available in 19 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-19" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">19 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD_%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80" title="Спомагателен крайцер – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Спомагателен крайцер" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creuer_auxiliar" title="Creuer auxiliar – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Creuer auxiliar" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomocn%C3%BD_k%C5%99i%C5%BEn%C3%ADk" title="Pomocný křižník – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Pomocný křižník" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hj%C3%A6lpekrydser" title="Hjælpekrydser – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Hjælpekrydser" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilfskreuzer" title="Hilfskreuzer – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Hilfskreuzer" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croiseur_auxiliaire" title="Croiseur auxiliaire – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Croiseur auxiliaire" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incrociatore_ausiliario" title="Incrociatore ausiliario – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Incrociatore ausiliario" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lt mw-list-item"><a href="https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagalbinis_kreiseris" title="Pagalbinis kreiseris – Lithuanian" lang="lt" hreflang="lt" data-title="Pagalbinis kreiseris" data-language-autonym="Lietuvių" data-language-local-name="Lithuanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lietuvių</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulpkruiser" title="Hulpkruiser – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Hulpkruiser" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A6%E8%A3%85%E5%95%86%E8%88%B9" title="武装商船 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="武装商船" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-oc mw-list-item"><a href="https://oc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosaire_auxiliar" title="Crosaire auxiliar – Occitan" lang="oc" hreflang="oc" data-title="Crosaire auxiliar" data-language-autonym="Occitan" data-language-local-name="Occitan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Occitan</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kr%C4%85%C5%BCownik_pomocniczy" title="Krążownik pomocniczy – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Krążownik pomocniczy" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruci%C8%99%C4%83tor_auxiliar" title="Crucișător auxiliar – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Crucișător auxiliar" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%80" title="Вспомогательный крейсер – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Вспомогательный крейсер" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomo%C5%BEna_kri%C5%BEarka" title="Pomožna križarka – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Pomožna križarka" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%9B%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0" title="Помоћна крстарица – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Помоћна крстарица" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hj%C3%A4lpfartyg" title="Hjälpfartyg – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Hjälpfartyg" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%96%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%80" title="Допоміжний крейсер – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Допоміжний 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src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Alcantara_1916.jpg/300px-Alcantara_1916.jpg" decoding="async" width="300" height="253" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Alcantara_1916.jpg/450px-Alcantara_1916.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Alcantara_1916.jpg/600px-Alcantara_1916.jpg 2x" data-file-width="786" data-file-height="662" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/RMS_Alcantara_(1913)" title="RMS Alcantara (1913)">HMS <i>Alcantara</i></a> and <a href="/wiki/SMS_Greif_(1914)" title="SMS Greif (1914)">SMS <i>Greif</i></a> dueling at close range during the <a href="/wiki/Action_of_29_February_1916" title="Action of 29 February 1916">action of 29 February 1916</a></figcaption></figure> <p>An <b>armed merchantman</b> is a <a href="/wiki/Merchant_vessel" class="mw-redirect" title="Merchant vessel">merchant ship</a> equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, <a href="/wiki/Maritime_Piracy" class="mw-redirect" title="Maritime Piracy">piracy</a> and <a href="/wiki/Privateer" title="Privateer">privateers</a>, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in long distance and high value trade. In more modern times, <b>auxiliary cruisers</b> were used offensively as <a href="/wiki/Merchant_raider" title="Merchant raider">merchant raiders</a> to disrupt trade chiefly during both World War I and World War II, particularly by Germany. </p><p>While armed merchantmen are clearly inferior to purpose-built warships, sometimes they have scored successes in combat against them. Examples include <a href="/wiki/East_Indiaman" title="East Indiaman">East Indiamen</a> mimicking <a href="/wiki/Ship_of_the_line" title="Ship of the line">ships of the line</a> and chasing off regular French warships in the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Pulo_Aura" title="Battle of Pulo Aura">Battle of Pulo Aura</a> in 1804, and the <a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Kormoran" title="German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran">German auxiliary cruiser <i>Kormoran</i></a> sinking the Australian light cruiser <a href="/wiki/HMAS_Sydney_(D48)" title="HMAS Sydney (D48)">HMAS <i>Sydney</i></a> in <a href="/wiki/Sinking_of_HMAS_Sydney" title="Sinking of HMAS Sydney">their battle</a> in 1941, although <i>Kormoran</i> was also destroyed and had to be scuttled. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Pre-20th_century">Pre-20th century</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Pre-20th century"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/East_Indiaman" title="East Indiaman">East Indiaman</a></div> <p>East Indiamen of various European countries were heavily armed for their long journeys to the <a href="/wiki/Far_East" title="Far East">Far East</a>. In particularly dangerous times, such as when the home countries were at war, a <a href="/wiki/Convoy" title="Convoy">convoy</a> system would be used whereby the ships were escorted by a <a href="/wiki/Warship" title="Warship">warship</a>. However, many East Indiamen also travelled on their own, and therefore were heavily armed in order to defend themselves against <a href="/wiki/Maritime_piracy" class="mw-redirect" title="Maritime piracy">pirates</a> and <a href="/wiki/Privateer" title="Privateer">privateers</a>. They also defended themselves against warships, scoring signal victories at the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Pulo_Aura" title="Battle of Pulo Aura">Battle of Pulo Aura</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Action_of_4_August_1800" title="Action of 4 August 1800">action of 4 August 1800</a>. The British <a href="/wiki/Royal_Navy" title="Royal Navy">Royal Navy</a> purchased several that it converted to <a href="/wiki/Ship_of_the_line" title="Ship of the line">ships of the line</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Development_of_auxiliary_cruisers">Development of auxiliary cruisers</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Development of auxiliary cruisers"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 1856, privateering (or seizure of a belligerent country's merchant ships as a private enterprise) lost international sanction under the <a href="/wiki/Declaration_of_Paris" class="mw-redirect" title="Declaration of Paris">Declaration of Paris</a>. From 1861 to 1865 European countries built high-speed ships to run the <a href="/wiki/Union_Blockade" class="mw-redirect" title="Union Blockade">Union Blockade</a> during the <a href="/wiki/American_Civil_War" title="American Civil War">American Civil War</a>. Some of these were armed and served as <a href="/wiki/Confederate_States_Navy" title="Confederate States Navy">Confederate States Navy</a> raiders. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Russian_Empire" title="Russian Empire">Russia</a> purchased three ships in 1878 of 6,000 <a href="/wiki/Long_ton" title="Long ton">long tons</a> (6,100 <a href="/wiki/Tonne" title="Tonne">t</a>) armed with 6-inch (150 mm) guns for use as auxiliary cruisers for a <a href="/wiki/Dobroflot" title="Dobroflot">Russian Volunteer Fleet</a>. <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">Germany</a> and the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland" title="United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland">United Kingdom</a> responded to the precedent by asking their shipping companies to design fast steamers with provision for mounting guns in time of war. </p><p>In 1890 German and British shipyards built new civilian ships designed for wartime conversion, and <a href="/wiki/French_Third_Republic" title="French Third Republic">France</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Italy" title="Kingdom of Italy">Italy</a>, <a href="/wiki/Japanese_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Japanese Empire">Japan</a>, <a href="/wiki/Austria-Hungary" title="Austria-Hungary">Austria-Hungary</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> made similar agreements with their shipyards. In 1892 Russia likewise built two more auxiliary cruisers. </p><p>In 1895 the <a href="/wiki/Imperial_German_Navy" title="Imperial German Navy">Imperial German Navy</a> mobilized the provisional auxiliary cruiser <i>Normannia</i> for a 15-day trial armed with eight 6-inch guns, two 3.5-inch (89 mm) guns, six 37-millimetre (1.46 in) guns, and two torpedo boats.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="20th_century">20th century</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: 20th century"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In both World Wars, both <a href="/wiki/German_Reich" title="German Reich">Germany</a> and the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> used auxiliary cruisers. While the British used armed passenger liners defensively for protecting their shipping, the German approach was to use them offensively to attack enemy shipping. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Armed_merchant_cruisers">Armed merchant cruisers</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Armed merchant cruisers"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/List_of_cruisers_of_the_United_States_Navy#Armed_merchant_cruisers" title="List of cruisers of the United States Navy">List of cruisers of the United States Navy § Armed merchant cruisers</a>, and <a href="/wiki/List_of_cruisers_of_the_Second_World_War" class="mw-redirect" title="List of cruisers of the Second World War">List of cruisers of the Second World War</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Sinking_Cap_Trafalgar.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Sinking_Cap_Trafalgar.jpg/220px-Sinking_Cap_Trafalgar.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="148" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Sinking_Cap_Trafalgar.jpg/330px-Sinking_Cap_Trafalgar.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Sinking_Cap_Trafalgar.jpg/440px-Sinking_Cap_Trafalgar.jpg 2x" data-file-width="529" data-file-height="355" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/RMS_Carmania_(1905)" title="RMS Carmania (1905)">RMS <i>Carmania</i></a> sinking <a href="/wiki/SMS_Cap_Trafalgar" title="SMS Cap Trafalgar">SMS <i>Cap Trafalgar</i></a> near the Brazilian islands of <a href="/wiki/Trindade_and_Martim_Vaz" title="Trindade and Martim Vaz">Trindade</a>, 14 September 1914</figcaption></figure> <p>The armed merchant cruisers (AMC) of the British <a href="/wiki/Royal_Navy" title="Royal Navy">Royal Navy</a> were employed for convoy protection against enemy warships. They ultimately proved to have limited value and many, particularly <a href="/wiki/Ocean_liner" title="Ocean liner">ocean liners</a>, were later converted into troopships, a role for which they were more suited. Documentary evidence quoted by the <a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a> researched from the early stages of the First World War suggests that the express liners had greater speed than most warships (few warships of the period could exceed 21 knots), which made them suitable as AMCs.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> The downside proved to be their high fuel consumption; using them in a purely AMC role would have burned through the Admiralty reserve supplies of <a href="/wiki/Coal#Ranks" title="Coal">steam coal</a> in less than three months.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> The ships were vulnerable to enemy fire because they lacked warship armour, and they used local control of guns rather than director <a href="/wiki/Fire-control_system" title="Fire-control system">fire-control systems</a>, which reduced their effective fire power. </p><p>A famous AMC of World War I was the British <a href="/wiki/RMS_Carmania_(1905)" title="RMS Carmania (1905)">RMS <i>Carmania</i></a> which, after a battle that caused heavy damage on both sides, sank the German auxiliary cruiser <a href="/wiki/SMS_Cap_Trafalgar" title="SMS Cap Trafalgar">SMS <i>Cap Trafalgar</i></a> near the Brazilian island of <a href="/wiki/Trindade_and_Martim_Vaz" title="Trindade and Martim Vaz">Trindade</a> in 1914.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> By coincidence, <i>Cap Trafalgar</i> was disguised as <i>Carmania</i>. In World War II, <a href="/wiki/HMS_Jervis_Bay" title="HMS Jervis Bay">HMS <i>Jervis Bay</i></a>, the sole escort for <a href="/wiki/Convoy_HX_84" title="Convoy HX 84">convoy HX 84</a> in November 1940, stood off the <a href="/wiki/Deutschland-class_cruiser" title="Deutschland-class cruiser">pocket battleship</a> <a href="/wiki/German_cruiser_Admiral_Scheer" title="German cruiser Admiral Scheer"><i>Admiral Scheer</i></a>, when the German ship attacked the convoy. Though she and five vessels of the convoy were sunk, this enabled the rest of the convoy to escape. Her master, Acting Captain <a href="/wiki/Edward_Fegen" title="Edward Fegen">Edward Fegen</a> was awarded the <a href="/wiki/Victoria_Cross" title="Victoria Cross">Victoria Cross</a> posthumously for his actions. Another famous action involving an armed merchant cruiser was the November 1939 battle between <a href="/wiki/HMS_Rawalpindi" title="HMS Rawalpindi">HMS <i>Rawalpindi</i></a> and the German <a href="/wiki/Battlecruiser" title="Battlecruiser">battlecruisers</a> <a href="/wiki/German_battleship_Scharnhorst" title="German battleship Scharnhorst"><i>Scharnhorst</i></a> and <a href="/wiki/German_battleship_Gneisenau" title="German battleship Gneisenau"><i>Gneisenau</i></a>. Outgunned, the <i>Rawalpindi</i> was quickly sunk. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Auxiliary_cruisers">Auxiliary cruisers</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Auxiliary cruisers"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Merchant_raider" title="Merchant raider">Merchant raider</a></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Restoration_(Spain)" title="Restoration (Spain)">Spanish</a> and <a href="/wiki/United_States_Navy" title="United States Navy">United States Navies</a> used auxiliary cruisers during the <a href="/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War" title="Spanish–American War">Spanish–American War</a> of 1898. In <a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a>, too, American auxiliary cruisers fought several engagements with German U-boats. </p><p>The German practice was to arm merchantmen with hidden weapons and use them as <a href="/wiki/Commerce_raiding" title="Commerce raiding">commerce raiders</a>. An auxiliary cruiser, <i>Hilfskreuzer</i> or <i>Handels-Stör-Kreuzer</i> (HSK), usually approached her target under a false flag with guns concealed, and sometimes with her appearance altered with fake funnels and masts and often a fake paint scheme. The victim was thus engaged at point-blank range and had no chance to escape. In World War I, the <a href="/wiki/Imperial_German_Navy" title="Imperial German Navy">Imperial German Navy</a> initially used fast passenger ships, such as past holders of the <a href="/wiki/Blue_Riband" title="Blue Riband">Blue Riband</a> for fastest North Atlantic crossings, but they made obvious and easy targets because of their very familiar silhouettes. The Germans, therefore, soon moved on to using captured and refitted <a href="/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_I" title="Allies of World War I">Allied</a> vessels, but principally modified transport ships. These were slower, but less recognizable. In both world wars, these ships were vulnerable to attack, and were withdrawn before the war ended. Many were sunk after being caught by regular warships – an unequal battle, since auxiliary cruisers had poor fire control and no armor. There were, however, a few success stories. <a href="/wiki/SS_Kaiser_Wilhelm_der_Grosse" title="SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse"><i>Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse</i></a> was a former passenger liner that sank two freighters in 1914 before being caught by <a href="/wiki/HMS_Highflyer_(1898)" title="HMS Highflyer (1898)">HMS <i>Highflyer</i></a>. Her sister ship, <a href="/wiki/SS_Kronprinz_Wilhelm" title="SS Kronprinz Wilhelm"><i>Kronprinz Wilhelm</i></a>, had a legendary journey, sinking or capturing a total of 15 ships in 1914 and 1915, before finally running out of supplies and having to put into port in <a href="/wiki/Virginia" title="Virginia">Virginia</a>, where the Americans interned her and eventually converted her into the United States Navy troop transport USS <i>Von Steuben</i>. The most famous German commerce raider of World War I probably was <a href="/wiki/SMS_Seeadler_(1888)" title="SMS Seeadler (1888)"><i>Seeadler</i></a>, a sailing ship under the command of the legendary Count <a href="/wiki/Felix_von_Luckner" title="Felix von Luckner">Felix von Luckner</a>. However, both <a href="/wiki/SMS_Wolf" title="SMS Wolf"><i>Wolf</i></a> and <a href="/wiki/SMS_M%C3%B6we_(1914)" title="SMS Möwe (1914)"><i>Möwe</i></a> were each much more successful than <i>Seeadler</i>. </p><p>In World War II, Nazi Germany's <i><a href="/wiki/Kriegsmarine" title="Kriegsmarine">Kriegsmarine</a></i> operated ten very successful auxiliary cruisers, ranging in tonnage from 3,860 to 9,400; typically these vessels were equipped with: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Observation_seaplane" title="Observation seaplane">Observation seaplanes</a></li> <li>15 cm (6 in) guns</li> <li>Smaller armaments (typically hidden away behind specially designed and hinged bulwarks, or beneath fake deckhouses and/or skylights)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Torpedo" title="Torpedo">Torpedoes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naval_mine" title="Naval mine">Mines</a></li></ul> <p>To preserve their cover, these ships flew the flags of neutral or occasionally Allied nations. They were refueled and provisioned from special supply ships, from Japanese island bases or from <a href="/wiki/Prize_(law)" title="Prize (law)">prizes</a> they had taken.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> To counter the effectiveness of these disguises, the Allies introduced the <a href="/wiki/Check-mate_system" title="Check-mate system">check-mate system</a> in 1942 to identify individual ships on a one-by-one basis with the <a href="/wiki/British_Admiralty" class="mw-redirect" title="British Admiralty">Admiralty</a> in London. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-117-02A,_Hilfskreuzer_Kormoran.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-117-02A%2C_Hilfskreuzer_Kormoran.jpg/220px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-117-02A%2C_Hilfskreuzer_Kormoran.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="149" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-117-02A%2C_Hilfskreuzer_Kormoran.jpg/330px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-117-02A%2C_Hilfskreuzer_Kormoran.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-117-02A%2C_Hilfskreuzer_Kormoran.jpg/440px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-117-02A%2C_Hilfskreuzer_Kormoran.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="543" /></a><figcaption><i>Kormoran</i> in 1940. During a <a href="/wiki/Single_ship_action" class="mw-redirect" title="Single ship action">single ship action</a> on <a href="/wiki/Sinking_of_HMAS_Sydney" title="Sinking of HMAS Sydney">19 November 1941, off the coast of Western Australia</a> the German auxiliary cruiser <i>Kormoran</i> sank <a href="/wiki/HMAS_Sydney_(D48)" title="HMAS Sydney (D48)">HMAS <i>Sydney</i></a> before being scuttled.</figcaption></figure> <p>In one incident, the German <a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Kormoran" title="German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran"><i>Kormoran</i></a> (ex-merchantman <i>Steiermark</i>) managed to surprise and sink the Australian <a href="/wiki/Light_cruiser" title="Light cruiser">light cruiser</a> <a href="/wiki/HMAS_Sydney_(D48)" title="HMAS Sydney (D48)">HMAS <i>Sydney</i></a>, which approached too close, though <i>Kormoran</i> was also sunk in the engagement. This was the only occasion in history when an armed merchantman managed to sink a modern <a href="/wiki/Warship" title="Warship">warship</a>; in most cases, auxiliary cruiser raiders tried to avoid confrontation with warships. <i>Kormoran</i><span class="nowrap" style="padding-left:0.1em;">'</span>s attack upon <i>Sydney</i> was motivated by desperation.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2014)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> She was not the most successful German raider of World War II (both <a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Atlantis" title="German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis"><i>Atlantis</i></a> and <a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Pinguin" title="German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin"><i>Pinguin</i></a> scored higher kill tonnages). Another, <a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Stier" title="German auxiliary cruiser Stier"><i>Stier</i></a>, was also sunk in a mutually destructive engagement with the American <a href="/wiki/Liberty_ship" title="Liberty ship">Liberty ship</a> <a href="/wiki/SS_Stephen_Hopkins" title="SS Stephen Hopkins">SS <i>Stephen Hopkins</i></a>. </p><p>The only encounters between Allied and Axis auxiliary cruisers in World War II were all with the raider <a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Thor" title="German auxiliary cruiser Thor"><i>Thor</i></a>. This small vessel, which captured or sank 22 merchantmen, encountered three British AMCs in her career, defeating <a href="/wiki/RMS_Alcantara_(1926)" title="RMS Alcantara (1926)">RMS <i>Alcantara</i></a> and <a href="/wiki/MV_Carnarvon_Castle" title="MV Carnarvon Castle">HMS <i>Carnarvon Castle</i></a> and later sinking HMS <i>Voltaire</i> in the <a href="/wiki/Action_of_4_April_1941" title="Action of 4 April 1941">Action of 4 April 1941</a>. During World War II, German auxiliary cruisers are believed to have either sunk or captured some 800,000 long tons (812,838 t) of Allied shipping. Compare to the <a href="/wiki/Q-ship" title="Q-ship">Q-ship</a>, which was a disguised merchantman for anti-submarine operations. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Others">Others</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Others"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/CAM_ship" title="CAM ship">CAM ship</a> (from catapult armed merchantman) was a British merchantman fitted with a catapult that could launch, but not recover, a single fighter aircraft. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Merchant_aircraft_carrier" title="Merchant aircraft carrier">merchant aircraft carrier</a> or "MAC" was a British or Dutch cargo ship with a flight deck that could carry a small number of aircraft. </p><p>CAM and MAC ships remained as civilian ships operated by civilian crews, with <a href="/wiki/Fleet_Air_Arm" title="Fleet Air Arm">Fleet Air Arm</a> or <a href="/wiki/Netherlands_Naval_Aviation_Service" title="Netherlands Naval Aviation Service">Royal Netherlands Navy</a> "air parties". </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="21st_century">21st century</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: 21st century"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Despite a rise in <a href="/wiki/Piracy#Modern_piracy" title="Piracy">modern piracy</a>, it was up until the early 2010s very unusual for modern merchant ships to be armed, save for maybe a number of <a href="/wiki/Small_arms" class="mw-redirect" title="Small arms">small arms</a> and the use of the ship's <a href="/wiki/Fire_hose" title="Fire hose">fire hoses</a> to repel boarders. One notable exception to this were the ships of <a href="/wiki/Pacific_Nuclear_Transport_Limited" class="mw-redirect" title="Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited">Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which are used to transport <a href="/wiki/Spent_nuclear_fuel" title="Spent nuclear fuel">spent nuclear fuel</a> and <a href="/wiki/Reprocessed_uranium" title="Reprocessed uranium">reprocessed uranium</a> on behalf of <a href="/wiki/British_Nuclear_Fuels_Ltd" class="mw-redirect" title="British Nuclear Fuels Ltd">British Nuclear Fuels Limited</a>. Transporting enough <a href="/wiki/Fissile" class="mw-redirect" title="Fissile">fissile</a> material between them to produce 50–60 nuclear weapons, these ships, beginning with the <i>Pacific Pintail</i> and <i>Pacific Teal</i>, became armed in 1999 to avoid the cost of a Royal Navy escort.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Travelling together in convoy during these ships' intermittent voyages, they have an onboard escort of armed police from the <a href="/wiki/UK_Atomic_Energy_Authority_Constabulary" title="UK Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary">UKAEAC</a> and its successors<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and are equipped with two or three 30 mm (1.18 in) <a href="/wiki/Autocannon" title="Autocannon">autocannons</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another exception were various ships of the Soviet Union's Merchant Marine (MORFLOT) during the Cold War (MORFLOT often operated as an adjunct to Soviet foreign and military policy, both overtly and otherwise). </p><p>In 2007, facing a chronic shortage of naval vessels the Cuban Navy placed into service the <a href="/wiki/Rio_Damuji-class_frigate" title="Rio Damuji-class frigate"><i>Rio Damuji</i> class of frigates</a>, which are large fishing trawlers converted into warships. </p><p>In April 2010, it was reported that a Russian company was offering a version of the <a href="/wiki/3M-54_Klub" class="mw-redirect" title="3M-54 Klub">3M-54 Klub</a> missile that could be disguised and launched from a shipping container, in theory enabling any cargo ship to be armed with an anti-ship missile. This type of missile was allegedly capable of disabling or even sinking an aircraft carrier, but "it's not known how many of them would have to hit a carrier to knock it out of action, much less sink it."<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>During the <a href="/wiki/2011_Libyan_civil_war" class="mw-redirect" title="2011 Libyan civil war">2011 Libyan civil war</a>, forces loyal to Gaddafi armed several merchant vessels and attempted to use them to blockade the port of <a href="/wiki/Misrata" title="Misrata">Misrata</a>. </p><p>In October 2011, British Prime Minister <a href="/wiki/David_Cameron" title="David Cameron">David Cameron</a> announced that British merchant shipping passing through areas known for <a href="/wiki/Piracy" title="Piracy">piracy</a> were permitted to carry firearms.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Ship_list">Ship list</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Ship list"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/List_of_auxiliary_and_merchant_cruisers" title="List of auxiliary and merchant cruisers">List of auxiliary and merchant cruisers</a></div> <p>Since the late 19th century various navies have used armed merchant ships in the role of <b>auxiliary cruisers</b>, also called <b>armed merchant cruisers</b>. Significant use of this type of ship was made by Britain and Germany in both World Wars. </p><p>Some of the ships used in this role include: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/SS_Saint_Paul_(1895)" title="SS Saint Paul (1895)">SS <i>Saint Paul</i> (1895)</a> – Saint Paul SP-1643 – Spanish–American War (United States)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shinano_Maru_(1900)" title="Shinano Maru (1900)"><i>Shinano Maru</i></a> – Russo-Japanese War (Japan)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russian_merchant_cruiser_Ural" title="Russian merchant cruiser Ural"><i>Ural</i></a> – Russo-Japanese War (Russia)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/HMAS_Berrima" title="HMAS Berrima"><i>Berrima</i></a> – World War I (Australia)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/SMS_Cap_Trafalgar" title="SMS Cap Trafalgar"><i>Cap Trafalgar</i></a> – World War I (Germany)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/RMS_Olympic" title="RMS Olympic"><i>Olympic</i></a> – World War I (Great Britain)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/MV_Mar_Negro" title="MV Mar Negro"><i>Mar Negro</i></a> – Spanish Civil War (Nationalist Spain)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Kormoran" title="German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran"><i>Kormoran</i></a> – World War II (Germany)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Thor" title="German auxiliary cruiser Thor"><i>Thor</i></a> – World War II (Germany)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/HMS_Jervis_Bay" title="HMS Jervis Bay"><i>Jervis Bay</i></a> – World War II (Great Britain)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/HMS_Rawalpindi" title="HMS Rawalpindi"><i>Rawalpindi</i></a> – World War II (Great Britain)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Ramb_I" class="mw-redirect" title="Ramb I">Ramb I</a></i> – World War II (Italy)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aikoku_Maru_(1940)" title="Aikoku Maru (1940)"><i>Aikoku Maru</i></a> – World War II (Japan)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/HMCS_Prince_David" title="HMCS Prince David"><i>Prince David</i></a> – World War II (Canada)</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Armed_merchant_ship" title="Armed merchant ship">Armed merchant ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Defensively_equipped_merchant_ship" title="Defensively equipped merchant ship">Defensively equipped merchant ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/False_flag" title="False flag">False flag</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hired_armed_vessels" title="Hired armed vessels">Hired armed vessels</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_auxiliary_and_merchant_cruisers" title="List of auxiliary and merchant cruisers">List of auxiliary and merchant cruisers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Merchant_raider" title="Merchant raider">Merchant raider</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Q-ship" title="Q-ship">Q-ship</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Citations">Citations</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Citations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFSchmalenbach1977" class="citation book cs1">Schmalenbach, Paul (1977). <i>German Raiders: The Story of the German Navy's Auxiliary Cruisers, 1895–1945</i>. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85059-351-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-85059-351-4"><bdi>0-85059-351-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=German+Raiders%3A+The+Story+of+the+German+Navy%27s+Auxiliary+Cruisers%2C+1895%E2%80%931945&rft.place=Annapolis%2C+Maryland&rft.pub=Naval+Institute+Press&rft.date=1977&rft.isbn=0-85059-351-4&rft.aulast=Schmalenbach&rft.aufirst=Paul&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArmed+merchantman" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20061020042440/http://www.cunard.com/AboutCunard/default.asp?Active=Heritage&Sub=GetShip&ShipID=53">"Carmania I"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cunard.com/AboutCunard/default.asp?Active=Heritage&Sub=GetShip&ShipID=53">the original</a> on 2006-10-20<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2006-07-21</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Carmania+I&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cunard.com%2FAboutCunard%2Fdefault.asp%3FActive%3DHeritage%26Sub%3DGetShip%26ShipID%3D53&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArmed+merchantman" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pntl.co.uk/pntl-fleet/">PNTL Fleet</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110614053446/http://www.pntl.co.uk/pntl-fleet/">Archived</a> 2011-06-14 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/458551.stm">"Nuclear fuel ship docks in Japan"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a></i>. 27 September 1999<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-08-27</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=BBC&rft.atitle=Nuclear+fuel+ship+docks+in+Japan&rft.date=1999-09-27&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F1%2Fhi%2Fworld%2Fasia-pacific%2F458551.stm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArmed+merchantman" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBrown1999" class="citation news cs1">Brown, Paul (20 January 1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jan/20/paulbrown">"Nuclear fuel ships to be armed with heavy guns"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Guardian" title="The Guardian">The Guardian</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-08-27</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&rft.atitle=Nuclear+fuel+ships+to+be+armed+with+heavy+guns&rft.date=1999-01-20&rft.aulast=Brown&rft.aufirst=Paul&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fuk%2F1999%2Fjan%2F20%2Fpaulbrown&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArmed+merchantman" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/389545.stm">"UK British nuclear fuel ships armed"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a></i>. 8 July 1999<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-08-27</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=BBC&rft.atitle=UK+British+nuclear+fuel+ships+armed&rft.date=1999-07-08&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F1%2Fhi%2Fuk%2F389545.stm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArmed+merchantman" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsurf/articles/20100414.aspx">"Arming Container Ships With Anti-Ship Missiles"</a>. StrategyPage. April 14, 2010.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Arming+Container+Ships+With+Anti-Ship+Missiles&rft.pub=StrategyPage&rft.date=2010-04-14&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.strategypage.com%2Fhtmw%2Fhtsurf%2Farticles%2F20100414.aspx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArmed+merchantman" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15510467">"Somali piracy: Armed guards to protect UK ships"</a>. <a href="/wiki/BBC_News_Online" title="BBC News Online">BBC News Online</a>. 30 October 2011.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Somali+piracy%3A+Armed+guards+to+protect+UK+ships&rft.pub=BBC+News+Online&rft.date=2011-10-30&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fuk-15510467&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArmed+merchantman" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Sources">Sources</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Sources"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239549316">.mw-parser-output .refbegin{margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul li{list-style:none}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{padding-left:1.6em;text-indent:-1.6em}}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%}}</style><div class="refbegin" style=""> <ul><li>Duffy, James P., <i>Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet</i>, 2001, Praeger, Westport (Connecticut) and London, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-275-96685-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-275-96685-2">0-275-96685-2</a></li> <li><i>The Oxford Companion to World War II</i> (2005).</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alfred_von_Niezychowski" title="Alfred von Niezychowski">Alfred von Niezychowski</a>, <i>The Cruise of the Kronprinz Wilhelm</i>, 1928, published by Doubleday.</li></ul> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Armed_merchantman&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck_class/hilfskreuzer/hilfskreuzer_menu.html">Hilfskreuzer page</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.maritimequest.com/liners/kronprinz_wilhelm_1901/kronprinz_wilhelm_data.htm">Maritimequest <i>Kronprinz Wilhelm</i> fact sheet and photo gallery for the German liner</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6227214.stm">Personal account of Lt. Surgeon J. Robart who served on the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS <i>Ranpura</i> in World War II</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.naval-history.net/xDKEscorts20AMCs.htm">Convoy escort movements for Royal Navy AMCs, World War 2</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul 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aria-labelledby="Naval_ships_and_warships_in_19th_and_20th_centuries" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar 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service">auxiliary</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maritime_geography" title="Maritime geography">Operational zones</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Brown-water_navy" title="Brown-water navy">Brown-water navy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Green-water_navy" title="Green-water navy">Green-water navy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Blue-water_navy" title="Blue-water navy">Blue-water navy</a></li></ul></li> <li>Gun placement <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Broadside_(naval)" title="Broadside (naval)">Broadside</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Central_battery_ship" title="Central battery ship">Central battery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Casemate" title="Casemate">Casemate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gun_turret" title="Gun turret">Turrets</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Aircraft_carrier" title="Aircraft carrier">Aircraft carriers</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amphibious_assault_ship" title="Amphibious assault ship">Amphibious assault ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anti-submarine_warfare_carrier" title="Anti-submarine warfare carrier">Anti-submarine warfare carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Balloon_carrier" title="Balloon carrier">Balloon carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battlecarrier" title="Battlecarrier">Battlecarrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/CAM_ship" title="CAM ship">CAM ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Escort_carrier" title="Escort carrier">Escort carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fighter_catapult_ship" title="Fighter catapult ship">Fighter catapult ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fleet_carrier" title="Fleet carrier">Fleet carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flight_deck_cruiser" title="Flight deck cruiser">Flight deck cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Helicopter_carrier" title="Helicopter carrier">Helicopter carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interdiction_Assault_Ship" title="Interdiction Assault Ship">Interdiction Assault Ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Light_aircraft_carrier" title="Light aircraft carrier">Light aircraft carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Merchant_aircraft_carrier" title="Merchant aircraft carrier">Merchant aircraft carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seaplane_tender" title="Seaplane tender">Seaplane tender</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Supercarrier" class="mw-redirect" title="Supercarrier">Supercarrier</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Battleship" title="Battleship">Battleships</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Coastal_defence_ship" title="Coastal defence ship">Coastal defence ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dreadnought" title="Dreadnought">Dreadnought</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fast_battleship" title="Fast battleship">Fast battleship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pre-dreadnought_battleship" title="Pre-dreadnought battleship">Pre-dreadnought battleship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dreadnought#Super-dreadnoughts" title="Dreadnought">Super-dreadnought</a> (<a href="/wiki/Standard-type_battleship" title="Standard-type battleship">Standard-type battleship</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_battleship" title="Treaty battleship">Treaty battleship</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Cruiser" title="Cruiser">Cruisers</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aircraft_cruiser" title="Aircraft cruiser">Aircraft cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armored_cruiser" title="Armored cruiser">Armored cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battlecruiser" title="Battlecruiser">Battlecruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guided_missile_cruiser" class="mw-redirect" title="Guided missile cruiser">Guided missile cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Heavy_cruiser" title="Heavy cruiser">Heavy cruiser</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Deutschland-class_cruiser" title="Deutschland-class cruiser">Pocket battleship</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Light_cruiser" title="Light cruiser">Light cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Merchant_raider" title="Merchant raider">Merchant raider</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Protected_cruiser" title="Protected cruiser">Protected cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scout_cruiser" title="Scout cruiser">Scout cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Strike_cruiser" title="Strike cruiser">Strike cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Torpedo_cruiser" title="Torpedo cruiser">Torpedo cruiser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unprotected_cruiser" title="Unprotected cruiser">Unprotected cruiser</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Escort</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aviso" title="Aviso">Aviso</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Convoy_rescue_ship" title="Convoy rescue ship">Convoy rescue ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Destroyer" title="Destroyer">Destroyer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Destroyer_escort" title="Destroyer escort">Destroyer escort</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Destroyer_leader" title="Destroyer leader">Destroyer leader</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Escort_destroyer" title="Escort destroyer">Escort destroyer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Escorteur" title="Escorteur">Escorteur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Frigate" title="Frigate">Frigate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guided-missile_destroyer" title="Guided-missile destroyer">Guided-missile destroyer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kaib%C5%8Dkan" title="Kaibōkan">Kaibōkan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Radar_picket" title="Radar picket">Radar picket</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sloop-of-war" title="Sloop-of-war">Sloop</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Transport</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amphibious_transport_dock" title="Amphibious transport dock">Amphibious transport dock</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Amphibious_warfare_ship" title="Amphibious warfare ship">Amphibious warfare ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Attack_transport" title="Attack transport">Attack transport</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dock_landing_ship" title="Dock landing ship">Dock landing ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_craft" title="Landing craft">Landing craft</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_craft_carrier" title="Landing craft carrier">Landing craft carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_Craft_Support" title="Landing Craft Support">Landing Craft Support</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_Ship_Heavy" class="mw-redirect" title="Landing Ship Heavy">Landing Ship Heavy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_ship,_infantry" title="Landing ship, infantry">Landing ship, infantry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_Ship_Logistics" class="mw-redirect" title="Landing Ship Logistics">Landing Ship Logistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_Ship_Medium" title="Landing Ship Medium">Landing Ship Medium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_Ship,_Tank" title="Landing Ship, Tank">Landing Ship, Tank</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Landing_Ship_Vehicle" class="mw-redirect" title="Landing Ship Vehicle">Landing Ship Vehicle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Troopship" title="Troopship">Troopship</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Patrol craft</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Armed_boarding_steamer" title="Armed boarding steamer">Armed boarding steamer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armed_yacht" title="Armed yacht">Armed yacht</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coastal_motor_boat" title="Coastal motor boat">Coastal motor boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corvette" title="Corvette">Corvette</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gunboat" title="Gunboat">Gunboat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Harbour_defence_motor_launch" title="Harbour defence motor launch">Harbour defence motor launch</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Motor_launch_(naval)" title="Motor launch (naval)">Motor launch</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naval_drifter" title="Naval drifter">Naval drifter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naval_trawler" title="Naval trawler">Naval trawler</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ocean_boarding_vessel" title="Ocean boarding vessel">Ocean boarding vessel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Patrol_boat" title="Patrol boat">Patrol boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Q-ship" title="Q-ship">Q-ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Steam_gun_boat" title="Steam gun boat">Steam gun boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Submarine_chaser" title="Submarine chaser">Submarine chaser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Torpedo_boat" title="Torpedo boat">Torpedo boat</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Fast_attack_craft" title="Fast attack craft">Fast attack craft</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/E-boat" title="E-boat">E-boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/MAS_(motorboat)" title="MAS (motorboat)">MAS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Motor_gunboat" title="Motor gunboat">MGB</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Missile_boat" title="Missile boat">Missile boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Motor_torpedo_boat" title="Motor torpedo boat">MTB</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/MT_explosive_motorboat" title="MT explosive motorboat">MTM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/MTSM_motor_torpedo_boat" title="MTSM motor torpedo boat">MTSM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/PT_boat" title="PT boat">PT boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shin%27y%C5%8D-class_suicide_motorboat" class="mw-redirect" title="Shin'yō-class suicide motorboat">Shin'yō</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Mine warfare</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Danlayer" title="Danlayer">Danlayer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Destroyer_minesweeper" title="Destroyer minesweeper">Destroyer minesweeper</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mine_countermeasures_vessel" title="Mine countermeasures vessel">Mine countermeasures vessel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mine_planter" title="Mine planter">Mine planter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Minehunter" title="Minehunter">Minehunter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Minelayer" title="Minelayer">Minelayer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Minesweeper" title="Minesweeper">Minesweeper</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Command and support</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amenities_ship" title="Amenities ship">Amenities ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ammunition_ship" title="Ammunition ship">Ammunition ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Auxiliary_repair_dock" title="Auxiliary repair dock">Auxiliary repair dock</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Auxiliary_ship" title="Auxiliary ship">Auxiliary ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Collier_(ship)" title="Collier (ship)">Collier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Combat_stores_ship" title="Combat stores ship">Combat stores ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Command_ship" title="Command ship">Command ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crane_vessel" title="Crane vessel">Crane vessel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Depot_ship" title="Depot ship">Depot ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Destroyer_tender" title="Destroyer tender">Destroyer tender</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dispatch_boat" title="Dispatch boat">Dispatch boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fast_combat_support_ship" title="Fast combat support ship">Fast combat support ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/General_stores_issue_ship" title="General stores issue ship">General stores issue ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hospital_ship" title="Hospital ship">Hospital ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Joint_support_ship" title="Joint support ship">Joint support ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tugboat" title="Tugboat">Naval tugboat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Net_laying_ship" title="Net laying ship">Net laying ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Repair_ship" title="Repair ship">Repair ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Replenishment_oiler" title="Replenishment oiler">Replenishment oiler</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Submarine_tender" title="Submarine tender">Submarine tender</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Submarine" title="Submarine">Submarines</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Attack_submarine" title="Attack submarine">Attack submarine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ballistic_missile_submarine" title="Ballistic missile submarine">Ballistic missile submarine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coastal_submarine" title="Coastal submarine">Coastal submarine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cruise_missile_submarine" class="mw-redirect" title="Cruise missile submarine">Cruise missile submarine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cruiser_submarine" title="Cruiser submarine">Cruiser submarine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deep-submergence_vehicle" title="Deep-submergence vehicle">Deep-submergence vehicle</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Deep-submergence_rescue_vehicle" title="Deep-submergence rescue vehicle">DSRV</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fleet_submarine" title="Fleet submarine">Fleet submarine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_torpedo" title="Human torpedo">Human torpedo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Midget_submarine" title="Midget submarine">Midget submarine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Submarine_aircraft_carrier" title="Submarine aircraft carrier">Submarine aircraft carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/U-boat" title="U-boat">U-boat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wet_sub" title="Wet sub">Wet sub</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Miscellaneous</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Armed merchantman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arsenal_ship" title="Arsenal ship">Arsenal ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Barracks_ship" title="Barracks ship">Barracks ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Breastwork_monitor" title="Breastwork monitor">Breastwork monitor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Capital_ship" title="Capital ship">Capital ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Drone_carrier" title="Drone carrier">Drone carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flagship" title="Flagship">Flagship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Floating_battery" title="Floating battery">Floating battery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guard_ship" title="Guard ship">Guard ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Littoral_combat_ship" title="Littoral combat ship">Littoral combat ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Monitor_(warship)" title="Monitor (warship)">Monitor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mother_ship" title="Mother ship">Mother ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/River_monitor" title="River monitor">River monitor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Training_ship" title="Training ship">Training ship</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div 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