The raider KMS Komet, also known as Schiff (Ship) 45, was originally the freighter Ems, built in 1936 by Deschimag.
Captain Robert Eyssen took Komet out of Gotenhaven on 3 July 1940 to commence the 516-day long adventure, which took the crew from pole to pole.
The voyage was destined to be unique ever since Eyssen had planned his route. Taking advantage of the flimsy Nazi-Soviet friendship, Eyssen had decided to sail well into the Arctic and around Russia with some Soviet help. The trip took Komet farther north than any other raider had gone. After 23 trying days among packed ice, Komet entered the Pacific, eager to do some damage.
Eyssen, however, did not catch his first prey till 25 November.
Two days later he sank the largest victim of all German raiders, Rangitane. Meanwhile, Eyssen joined Orion's Weyher and a few supply ships to form the German Far East Squadron, the first since World War I. Komet became the flagship since Eyssen was the senior officer present.
Luck was not with the Germans, though, and Orion and Komet caught only a few inter-island merchantmen. This could have ruined Eyssen's plan to land at Nauru, a major source of phosphate for Britain. Amazingly the Australians did not significantly tighten security measures and Eyssen took the opportunity.
Komet arrived at Nauru on 27 December, and, after driving the curious natives away, shelled everything beneficial to Britain's war effort. Extensive damage was inflicted to the phosphate plants and oil tanks. The island's phosphate shipments recovered only long after the war.
After becoming the only raider to attack land targets, Komet travelled to the southernmost point, well into the Antarctic, reached by any raider, to try to catch Allied whalers, without success.
Then Eyssen visited the Kerguelens and prowled the Indian Ocean, and later returned to the Pacific, empty handed. After Pinguin was sunk, the converted minelayer Adjutant (manned by Pinguin's men) was assigned to Eyssen, who found little use of it. Nevertheless, he had Adjutant mined the water outside Wellington, New Zealand.
Komet then roamed about the Pacific, finding nothing but boredom and inactivity. When permission was given by Berlin to attack ships in eastern Pacific, Eyssen sank three ships in five days, fully eight months after shelling Nauru.
Afterwards Komet rounded Cape Horn and headed home. On 26 November 1941, Eyssen entered Cherbourg. The last leg to Germany was not without incident; Komet was harassed by British torpedo boats and hit by a bomb, which failed to explode. On 30 November, Komet arrived at Cuxhaven, ending her first cruise.
Komet's second cruise began on 7 October 1942 and lasted only two days. Captain Ulrich Brocksien was assigned command of Komet, now refitted with radar set and new guns. British intelligence was aware of the German attempt to dash through the English Channel. In a fast and furious fight, Komet was sunk after an explosion amidships, caused by gunfire, said the Germans; by torpedo hits, claimed the British.
Name: KMS Komet, Schiff 45, Hilfskreuzer VII.
Type: light auxiliary cruiser. Ex-name: Ems, freighter.
Owner: North German Lloyd. Builder: Deschimag, Werk Weser, Bremen.
Date of construction: 1937. Converted by: How. H. Date of conversion: 1939-40. Date of commission: 2 June 1940.
Tonnage: 3,287. Displacement: 7,500 tons.
Length: 115m (Lloyds Register). Beam: 15.3m. Draught: 6.5m. Freeboard: 6.8m.
Fuel type: oil. Fuel capacity: 2,485 tons.
Speed: 16 knots. Range: 5,100 nautical miles at 9 knots. Cruising endurance: 236 days at 9 knots.
Maximum horse power: 3,900, turbines. Propulsion: two 6-cylinder-Diesel. Propellers: 1.
Number of decks: 1. Number of holds: 4. Number of compartments: 7.
Crew: 270.
Aircraft carried: two Ar 196A-1s. Motor launch carried: one LS 2 (Meteorit). Mines carried: 30.
Armament: six 5.9in (6x1), two 37mm (1x2), four 20mm (4x1), six 21-inch torpedo tubes (2x2, 2x1).
Length of cruise: 516 days, 3 July 1940 to 30 November 1941; 8 days, 6 October 1942 to 14 October 1942.
Nationality Type Name Tonnage Date Result
First Cruise
Great Britain Freighter Australind 5,020 14 August 1941 Sunk
The Netherlands Freighter Kota-Nopan 7,322 17 August 1941 Prize
Great Britain Freighter Devon 9,036 19 August 1941 Sunk
Total 3 ships 21,378
Ships sunk by Orion and Komet 25 November to 8 December 1940:
Great Britain Freighter Holmwood 546 25 November 1940 Sunk
Great Britain Passenger Rangitane 16,712 27 November 1940 Sunk
Great Britain Freighter Triona 4,413 6 December 1940 Sunk
Norway Freighter Vinni (Komet) 5,181 7 December 1940 Sunk
Great Britain Freighter Komata (Komet) 3,900 7 December 1940 Sunk
Great Britain Freighter Triadic (Orion) 6,378 8 December 1940 Sunk
Great Britain Freighter Triaster (Orion) 6,032 8 December 1940 Sunk
Total 7 ships 43,162
No ships were sunk during second cruise.
Grand total 6.5 ships 41,294.5
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