Michel (ship, 1939)

**Michel** p1
Ship data
flag	German Empire
other ship names	Bielsko; Bonn;
Ship type	Auxiliary cruiser
Shipyard	Gdansk Shipyard , Gdansk
Launch	April 1939
Commissioning	as an auxiliary cruiser: September 17, 1941
Whereabouts	Sunk on October 17, 1943
Ship dimensions and crew
length	132 m ( Lüa )
width	16.8 m
Draft	Max. 7.4 m
displacement	10,900 t
measurement	4,740 GRT
crew	407 men
Machine system
machine	2 × 8-cylinder diesel
Machine ; performance	6,650 hp (4,891 kW)
Top ; speed	16 kn (30 km / h)
propeller	1
Armament
	6 × Sk 15.0 cm L / 45 (1,800 shots); 1 × Flak 10.5 cm L / 45 (400 rounds); 4 × Flak 3.7 cm L / 50 (8,000 rounds); 4 × Flak 2.0 cm L / 65 (8,000 rounds); 6 × torpedo tube ∅ 53.3 cm (24 shots); 2 × Arado Ar 196 ;

The Michel , named after the Hamburg Michel , was a former Polish cargo ship that was captured in the Second World War under the designation Schiff 28 for use in the Navy . The Michel was known as the Raider H in the British Royal Navy .

history

The ship was commissioned as a freighter by the Polish Gdynia America Line from the Gdansk shipyard in 1939 and was to be named Bielsko . During the German occupation of Poland , the unfinished ship fell into German hands. Commissioned by Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1939 under the name Bonn , it was requisitioned by the Navy in 1940 in order to be converted into a hospital ship ( ship 26 ) in Danzig at the Schichau shipyard . In the end, however, the ship was converted into an auxiliary cruiser and put into service on September 17, 1941 as Handelsstörkreuzer 9 (HSK 9).

Armament

The main armament of the ship consisted of six 15 cm rapid-fire guns , for which 1,800 shells were carried. Two guns (one on each side) were hidden in the bow, on the fore ship and in the stern superstructure, but could be exposed within seconds. This arrangement had the disadvantage that a broadside only contained three guns. In addition, the ship had six torpedo tubes , four hidden in twin sets in the foredeck on both sides, the other two individually rigidly below the waterline. 24 torpedoes were carried. The ship was also equipped with a 10.5 cm Flak 38 on the aft deck, for which 400 rounds were available. It also had four 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns (8,000 rounds) and four 2 cm anti-aircraft guns (8,000 rounds). The 15 cm guns as well as two of the four 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns and all four 2 cm anti-aircraft guns were taken over from the auxiliary cruiser Widder , which had recently returned and retired . Only the 10.5 cm anti-aircraft guns and two of the 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns were new.

To elucidate by enemy vessels, which constitute a potential danger or prey, the auxiliary cruiser conducted two water aircraft of the type Arado Ar 196 A-1 with. These were located in the rear hold and were deployed and recovered using a crane. An LS 4 speedboat was also on board. This fast and manoeuvrable dinghy, which was armed with a 2 cm anti-aircraft gun (400 rounds, in a plexiglass dome) and two 45 cm torpedo tubes in the bow, was specially designed for use on auxiliary cruisers and was therefore particularly light and even strong Swell can be used. Like the two aircraft, it was stored in the rear cargo hold and, like this one, could be loaded and unloaded with a crane.

crew

In 1940 Corvette Captain Hellmuth von Ruckteschell was appointed as the first commandant , who had already been the commandant of the Widder and thus had extensive experience in trade warfare. Von Ruckteschell chose both the name of the ship and the crew of the Michel personally, so that they included a large part of the former officers and men of the Aries .

Before the crew came on board in December 1940, they were prepared for life on board in special training courses. While most took the usual naval courses, some crew members were sent to special courses where they learned painting, drawing, sculpture, theater, various instruments and even puppet shows. This was done on the orders of Ruckteschells, who knew the effects of a long journey on the crew and wanted to provide variety. The head of a music school was also obliged to be the choirmaster and head of the ship's orchestra.

Surname

When ship 28 was to be put into service in early 1941, Erich Raeder asked Captain von Ruckteschell what name he wanted to give the ship, since it was customary for the commander to give the auxiliary cruiser a name. He replied that he wanted to name the ship Michel .

There are several theories as to how von Ruckteschell came up with this name. One is that Michel was referring to the German Michel . According to another theory, the name is said to have referred to the Archangel Michael , who, as the patron saint of the Germans, fights against the devil.

Although the name was very popular with the crew, it met with little approval in official circles in Berlin, as neither the frequently caricatured German Michel nor the Christian Archangel appeared to be suitable namesake.

Therefore Raeder advised von Ruckteschell to choose a different name and suggested Götz von Berlichingen himself. Von Ruckteschell refused the name and referred to Berlichingen's well-known sentence: "But he, tell him, he can lick my ass!".

In view of the stubborn demeanor of Ruckteschells, Raeder finally gave in and personally named the ship Michel on September 7, 1941 .

commitment

First drive

On March 9, 1942, the left Michel Kiel , verholte first to Cuxhaven and then to Vlissingen .

From there she was to cross the English Channel camouflaged as barrier breaker 26 in order to make final preparations for her actual mission in La Rochelle .

On the evening of March 13th, just 300 hours after the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had successfully breached the canal , the Michel alias Sperrbrecher 26 set out from Vlissingen accompanied by nine mine clearance boats and the torpedo boats Iltis , Jaguar , Seeadler , Falke and Kondor .

After just a few hours, the convoy was attacked by several motor torpedo boats , which, however, could be switched off with the help of the light anti-aircraft cannons and the escort boats. A little later, the formation was attacked by nine motor torpedo boats and five destroyers , which could only be repulsed with the help of nearby coastal batteries and the exposed main guns of the Michel . However, this had the consequence that the Royal Navy now had knowledge of the existence of another auxiliary cruiser.

Only slightly damaged and with only one officer killed, the convoy reached Le Havre on March 14 and Saint-Malo the following day , where fuel and ammunition were refilled. On March 17th, the Michel reached La Rochelle, where she cast off on March 20th to wage a trade war in the Central Atlantic. Later she was to advance into the Indian Ocean with the auxiliary cruiser Thor, which operated further south .

The equator was crossed on April 5, and eleven days later, on April 16, they met the tanker Charlotte Schliemann to replenish their fuel supplies. In order not to be discovered, the Michel disguised itself from now on as a Norwegian freighter.

On April 19th, the first enemy merchant ship was sighted. It was the British tanker Patella from Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co., which was on its way from Trinidad to South Africa with 10,000 tons of oil . After a warning shot and the raising of the Reich war flag , the tanker increased its speed and sent RRR, the emergency signal in the event of an attack by an auxiliary cruiser (raider). After further shots, which destroyed the bridge and the radio room, among other things, the crew surrendered; the ship was sunk with explosive charges . The Michel took in 60 survivors.

Three days later, on April 22nd, another tanker was sighted, and von Ruckteschell decided to use the speedboat Esau he was carrying . The Michel followed the ship unseen into the night and determined speed and course. During the night the Esau was launched . This drove unseen around the enemy ship in a wide arc and waited under cover of darkness for the tanker. At dawn the Esau fired two torpedoes at the tanker, which exploded in a ball of fire. The approaching Michel was able to rescue 13 survivors who the ship as 8,684 GRT great Connecticut the US identified Texas Company, which had been on the go also to South Africa.

On the morning of May 1, the 10,307 GRT menelaus on the British Blue Funnel Line was sighted south of St. Helena . The Michel posed as a British patrol boat and asked the passenger steamer to stop. However, the captain of the Menelaus refused and asked the Michel to send the identification code. Since this was not possible, von Ruckteschell ordered fire to be opened and the Esau to be launched. The Menelaus then began to send distress signals on all frequencies and moved away from the Michel at top speed , so that she was soon out of range. Since she was also avoiding the Esau's torpedoes , von Ruckteschell turned away with a view of the enemy warships that were soon to arrive. This was the only time during World War II that a ship attacked by an auxiliary cruiser managed to escape.

After this failure, von Ruckteschell had the Michel set a course to the south in the area previously monitored by the Thor , which had evaded into the Indian Ocean , in order to meet again with the tanker Charlotte Schliemann . The rendezvous took place on May 8th. The Michel received new fuel and gave the prisoners to Charlotte Schliemann .

On May 20, another freighter was discovered on the Montevideo - Cape Town route . It was the 4,245 GRT Norwegian freighter Kattegat , which was in ballast on its way to La Plata . Since the bridge, engine room and radio room had been destroyed with the first volleys, the freighter could neither escape nor transmit an emergency signal. There were no casualties and all 20 men were taken on the Michel before the Kattegat was sunk with explosive charges.

Two weeks later, the Michel's radio operator intercepted the distress signal from a Liberty freighter that had sustained engine damage further north. Although it was three days away, von Ruckteschell decided to set course for the freighter and spotted it on June 5, when the crew had just managed to repair the engine failure. Although the Esau torpedoed the ship and hit both torpedoes, it failed to sink the ship. Instead, the George Clymer , now identified as 7,176 GRT, sent an emergency call and manned the on-board cannon. As a British cruiser was announced, it was decided on the Michel to wait beyond the horizon. The cruiser turned out to be Alcantara , which had already fought against the Thor and was badly damaged in the process. This took on the crew of the sinking George Clymer and moved away before the Michel could intervene.

On June 11, the lookout discovered the 5,187 GRT British freighter Lylepark , which was on its way from Cape Town to New York with aircraft parts . The freighter was under fire without warning and sunk after a short time. The Michel took on 22 of the 27 crew members.

On June 21, the Michel met with the blockade breaker Doggerbank , captured by the Atlantis , to whom they handed over their 124 prisoners. The tanker Charlotte Schliemann joined the two ships the next day and supplied them with fuel. After the meeting, the Michel ran north to look for more freighters in the Gulf of Guinea that were traveling this route to avoid German submarines .

On July 15, a large passenger steamer was sighted off the coast of Angola . It was the 7,999 GRT Gloucester Castle (Captain Herbert H. Rose) of the Union-Castle Line . The unarmed and unescorted ship transported non-military cargo, mail and passengers from Birkenhead to Cape Town. During the night, the Michel approached under blackout to open fire at close range around 7:00 p.m. The ship caught fire immediately and sank after a short time. Although the Esau dinghy was used to rescue the castaways, only 61 of the 154 passengers and crew could be saved. There were also six women and two children among the dead.

Two more ships were discovered less than 24 hours later. There were two tankers on a parallel course, and so von Ruckteschell decided to attack both at the same time at night. The closer tanker, the 7,983 GRT William F. Humphrey, which was on the way from Cape Town to Trinidad, was shot at by the Michel and sunk with three torpedoes, while the more distant 7,984 GRT Aramis was torpedoed by the Esau , but just got damaged. It was only in the evening that the Michel reached the fleeing tanker and sank it.

On August 9, the Michel met the auxiliary cruiser Stier off the Brazilian coast , and the captains initially decided to act together in the future. Since Ruckteschell but the tactics Horst Gerlach, the captain of the bull, refused walked bull and Michel but then separate ways.

August 14th brought quick booty to Michel, who is now patrolling St. Helena again . The 5,874 GRT British Arabistan , in ballast on the way from Cape Town to Trinidad, was destroyed. The ship sank within minutes. Only one crew member could be saved.

On August 23, the Michel met Charlotte Schliemann for the last time to add fuel before venturing around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean. The US ship American Leader was sunk here on September 10th . It was 6,778 GRT in size and with 2,000 tons of rubber, 850 tons of coconuts and 20 tons of opium on board on the way from Cape Town to Punta Arenas . The ship was sunk at close range during the night. Of the 58 crew members, 47 survived and were picked up by the Michel .

When the Michel returned to the Atlantic on September 11th to meet with various supply ships, she tracked down the new 7,241 GRT cargo ship Empire Dawn , which was also on its way to Trinidad. Although it had already been set and the crew left the ship, Captain von Ruckteschell kept firing and killed half of the 44-man crew. This was one of the charges as a result of which von Ruckteschell was found guilty after the war and sentenced to ten years in prison.

After the blockade breaker Tannenfels had taken care of them on September 21 and handed over the prisoners to him, there was another meeting with the bull and the Uckermark on the 24th . Then the Michel set course for the Indian Ocean again. On November 14th, the Michel met the tanker Brake , from whom she received fuel. Four days later they met the blockade runner Rhacotis , who was on his way back to France and the war diary of Michel took over.

The Michel brought her next prey on November 29th . The 5,882 GRT freighter Sawokla, traveling with jute on its way from Colombo to Cape Town, was discovered on the opposite course during the night and immediately under fire. Two torpedo hits by the Esau caused the ship to sink quickly. 39 of the 59 seafarers were rescued.

Another freighter was sunk on December 8th. The crew of the Greek ship Eugenie Livanos (4,816 GRT) was celebrating St. Nicholas when the ship was hit and sunk by two torpedoes from Esau . 19 sailors of different nationalities were rescued. Shortly afterwards, von Ruckteschell received the order that the ship should return to European waters in order to coordinate the return trip with the planned breakout of the auxiliary cruiser Coronel . On December 26th, von Ruckteschell received the news that he had been awarded the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .

On January 3rd, Michel received an order to return to the Atlantic. On the same day the lookout reported a ship that was overtaken in the evening and sunk with the help of four torpedoes, two each by Michel and Esau . 27 of the 29 sailors who identified the ship as the 7,040 GRT Empire March , who had been on the way from Durban to Trinidad with iron, tea and peanuts, were rescued . Six days later, the news reached the Michel that she should not try to break the Allied blockade of Europe, but should instead move to Japan . In the next month, the Michel crossed the Indian Ocean and reached the Japanese-controlled Batavia on February 10 and Singapore , which was also Japanese-occupied , on February 18 , where the prisoners were transferred to Japanese ships.

On March 2, the Michel Kobe reached . Here she was received by the German naval attaché Admiral Paul Wenneker and by Captain Günther Gumprich . The latter had been in command of the auxiliary cruiser Thor , which had recently exploded in the port of Yokohama .

Result

When the Michel anchored in Kobe on March 2, 1943, ended a voyage that began on March 9, 1942 in Kiel and lasted 358 days. 14 enemy merchant ships with a total of 99,386 GRT were sunk on this patrol. The Michel did not lose any crew member on the voyage.

The Michel was repaired and re-equipped in the Mitsubishi shipyard . Captain Hellmuth von Ruckteschell, who had already suffered from migraines and heart problems at sea , decided on March 23rd to give up command. In his place, Günther Gumprich became the new commandant of the Michel.

Second ride

After the Michel had been made operational again in Kure , her new master lifted anchor on May 1, 1943, and the Michel set course for the Indian Ocean, where she cruised west of Perth . At that time she was the last auxiliary cruiser still at sea after the Thor exploded in Yokohama in late November 1942.

On June 14, one of the reconnaissance planes spotted a ship west of the Michel , which it followed to overtake it in the evening. Günther Gumprich, who was used to daytime attacks with the Thor , which had better guns and a larger broadside, disliked the "Ruckteschell" tactic of the surprising night attack. With limited resources on the Michel , he reluctantly agreed to launch a nightly surprise attack. The Norwegian Höegh Silverdawn , now identified as 7,715 GRT , was on the way from Fremantle to Basra with meat and military equipment . As usual, it was shot at at night without warning and sunk with two torpedoes. The 47-man crew was saved. Six of the eleven passengers lost their lives.

The Ferncastle tanker sunk by the Michel

The next ship was sighted two days later on June 17th. It was the 9,940 GRT Norwegian tanker Ferncastle . After the ship had been shaded all day, they approached at night and launched the Esau . After she hit the tanker with her torpedoes, the captain of the Ferncastle first believed it was a submarine attack and had the guns manned, but when the Michel approached he realized the hopelessness of the situation and let the crew leave the ship. Of the 37 Ferncastle sailors , five died in the attack. 13 were rescued by the Michel , while another 19, including the captain, escaped in a lifeboat and reached the coast of Madagascar 30 days later . Since the Ferncastle had been able to make an emergency call and many of the survivors had escaped, Gumprich decided to switch to the Pacific , where the Michel crossed unsuccessfully off the Chilean coast. Only on August 1 was another ship sighted, but not attacked, as Gumprich suspected it was an auxiliary cruiser.

On August 29, the lookout reported the sighting of an American cruiser that was falsely identified as a Pensacola- class ship , whereupon Gumprich immediately turned north. In reality, however, it was the light cruiser Trenton that belonged to the Omaha class . Another merchant ship was discovered on August 10th. The 9,977 GRT Norwegian India , on the way from Peru to Sydney , was followed into the night. The tanker was approached under cover of darkness and sunk. Since the first volley already set the oil tanks on fire, the ship soon turned into a flaming inferno. None of the 41 sailors survived the sinking.

The Michel had an unusual collision with enemy ships on September 29th. In the middle of the night the Michel got into a convoy escorted by destroyers heading for Hawaii . Although not exposed, Gumprich decided to carefully detach himself from the convoy, which he succeeded.

The downfall

Since there were no longer any German suppliers operating in the Pacific, Grumprich was forced to run back to Japan to load new fuel. On the night of October 17th , the Michel was discovered by the US submarine Tarpon on the way to Yokohama . Moving across water, the Tarpon followed the Michel and took up firing position. At 1:56 a.m. she fired four torpedoes, two of which hit the Michel . This stopped, but then drove on and ran directly towards the submarine, which however submerged and reappeared behind which Michel reappeared to shoot a second fan . A torpedo hit the Michel at the stern, triggered a large explosion and let the Michel go under in a few minutes ( location ). Of the 373 men and officers on board, 263 died. Among them was Captain Günther Gumprich. 33.7 140.133333

Sinkings

First drive

	Surname	Type	country	date	Tonnage in GRT	Cargo / passengers	location
1	patella	Tanker	United Kingdom United Kingdom	April 19, 1942	7,469	9,911 t of oil	S 22 59 18.4 W 20 8 0.1
2	Connecticut	Tanker	United States United States	April 22, 1942	8,684	gasoline	( Location ) -23 -15
3	Kattegat	freighter	Norway Norway	May 20, 1942	4,245	no	( Location ) -28.183333 -11.5
4th	George Clymer	freighter	United States United States	June 6, 1942	7.176	24 planes u. a.	S 14 46 39.1 W 18 40 25.7
5	Lylepark	freighter	United Kingdom United Kingdom	June 11, 1942	5,186	military supplies	S 13 47 13.5 W 10 5 17.3
6th	Gloucester Castle	Passenger ship	United Kingdom United Kingdom	July 15, 1942	8.006	Freight, mail and passengers	S 10 7 17.9 W 5 6 30.5
7th	William F. Humphrey	Tanker	United States United States	July 16, 1942	7,893	no
8th	Aramis	Tanker	Norway Norway	July 17, 1942	7,984	no	( Location ) -5.25 -3.85
9	Arabistan	freighter	United Kingdom United Kingdom	August 14, 1942	5,874	no	S 11 32 37.2 W 26 3 26.9
10	American leader	freighter	United States United States	September 10, 1942	6,778	850 tons of coconut oil, 400 tons of copra , 100 tons of spices, 200 tons of fat and 20 tons of opium	S 34 14 55.0 O 1 50 45.3
11	Empire Dawn	freighter	United Kingdom United Kingdom	September 11, 1942	7,241	no	S 7 5 25.8 O 3 33 47.0
12	Sawokla	freighter	United States United States	November 29, 1942	5,882	Jute, raw linen	S 27 54 29.3 O 53 57 39.1
13	Eugenie Livanos	freighter	Greece Greece	December 8, 1942	4,861	alcoholic drinks	S 27 18 15.8 O 53 26 44.7
14th	Empire March	freighter	United Kingdom United Kingdom	January 2, 1943	7,040	Iron, tea, jute and peanuts	S 34 52 47.4 W 15 14 22.4

In total: 14 ships with 99,368 GRT

Second ride

	Surname	Type	country	date	Tonnage in GRT	charge	position
1	Hoegh Silverdawn	freighter	Norway Norway	June 15, 1943	7,715	Meat, military equipment and vehicles, aviation fuel	S 25 42 14.1 O 91 59 43.2
2	Ferncastle	Tanker	Norway Norway	June 17, 1943	9,940	petrol	S 24 51 24.4 O 96 53 20.9
3	India	Tanker	Norway Norway	September 11, 1943	9,977	oil	S 19 58 38.5 W 115 26 3.1

In total: 3 ships with 27,632 GRT

literature

Jochen Brennecke: The German auxiliary cruisers in World War II. Feared, but respected. 2nd revised edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Herford 1976, ISBN 3-7822-0119-1 .
Erich Gröner : The German warships 1815-1945. Volume 3: Submarines, auxiliary cruisers, mine ships, net layers, barrier breakers. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz 1985, ISBN 3-7637-4802-4 .
Fritz-Ludwig Dechow: Ghost ship 28 - auxiliary cruiser MICHEL on the seas of the world. Preetz 1962.