SMS Meteor was an auxiliary cruiser of the Imperial German Navy which operated against Allied shipping during World War I.
Early career Originally built as the British freighter Vienna in 1903 by Ramage & Ferguson, of Leith, for Curries shipping line. At the outbreak of war in August 1914 Vienna was at Hamburg and was seized as a prize there. To take advantage of her unmistakably British appearance, the Imperial German Navy decided to convert her into an auxiliary cruiser and minelayer. She was moved to the Kaiserliche Werft (KWW) in Wilhelmshaven, where she was equipped with two 88 mm guns and two machine guns. She had minelaying equipment installed and a capacity for 374 mines. She was renamed Meteor and commissioned in May 1915 under the command of KK Wolfram von Knorr.Schmalenbach p16
Service history
On 29 May 1915 Meteor set out on her first mission, to lay mines in the White Sea and attack Allied merchant ships engaged in taking coal and other materiel to Russia. In this she had several successes, sinking three freighters and laying her mines, which accounted for another three ships. She returned unharmed in June 1915.Halpern p33
Her second mission, in August 1915, was to lay mines in the Moray Firth, but this was less successful. In the course of this operation, while attempting to run the British blockade, Meteor was challenged by the British armed boarding vessel HMS Ramsey, which stopped her for inspection. While stopping to be boarded, Meteor was able to maneuver into a firing position, and, suddenly opening fire, she quickly overwhelmed Ramsey, which sank. The opening salvos destroyed the bridge of the Ramsey, a torpedo struck Ramsey near the stern below the crew quarters. Most of the crew were still in their quarters and were killed during the explosion.Hawkins p121
Retribution was swift, and several British cruisers in the area, which had received Ramsey report, closed in on her. Notified by an Imperial German Navy airship, which was scouting in the area, on 9 August 1915 Meteor captain decided to scuttle her to avoid capture. Meteor transferred the survivors of Ramsey and the crew of the Jason to a passing Norwegian vessel, while the Meteor crew transferred to a passing Swedish merchant and returned to Germany to a hero's welcome. The Norwegian vessel rendezvoused with the British cruisers and turned over the Ramsey survivors, the British cruisers located the foundering Meteor and confirmed its sinking.
Aftermath While Meteor career was short lived it was viewed as highly successful, laying minefields in critical shipping lanes out of reach of submarines, with minimal investment of resources. This proved the value of Frachtdampfer-Hilfskreuzer (Freighter-auxiliary cruisers) that could pose as conventional merchant vessels and whose large cargo holds could carry supplies for long voyages. This model would be the basis for later successful auxiliary cruisers such as and .Noppen p35
Raiding career In two voyages Meteor sank five ships, her mines sunk another nineteen, and damaged 2 minesweepers, with a total tonnage in excess of 45,000 GRT.
+ Ships sunk by Meteor on her first raiding voyageSchmalenbach p137 Date Ship Type Nationality Tonnage GRT Fate 15.6.15 Verdandi freighter Swedish 950 sunk 16.6.15 Granit freighter Norwegian 662 sunk 16.6.15 Thorsten freighter Swedish 1.634 sunk
+Sunk by mines from Meteor on her first raiding voyage Date Ship Type Nationality Tonnage GRT Location 11.6.15 Arndale freighter British 3.583 Archangel17.06.15NicolaiRussian154Archangel 20.6.15 Twilight freighter British 3.100 Archangel14.07.15UraniafreighterRussian/Finnish1.934Archangel 26.7.15 Madura freighter British 4.484 Archangel 06.07.15African MonarchfreighterBritish4.003Archangel06.07.15LysakerfreighterNorwegian2.031Archangel 24.6.15 Drumloist freighter British 3.118 Archangel 8.8.15 Benarthur sailing ship British 2.029 Archangel 31.08.15HelgafreighterNorwegian949Archangel27.09.15VincentschoonerAmerican1.904Archangel21.10.15Cape AntibesfreighterBritish2.549Archangel18.11.15Helen MartinschoonerAmerican2.265Archangel
+ Ships sunk by Meteor on her second raiding voyage Date Ship Type Nationality Tonnage GRT Fate 8.8.15 Jason sailing ship Danish 159 sunk 8.8.15 ABV British 1,621 sunk in action
+Sunk by mines from Meteor on her second raiding voyage Date Ship Type Nationality Tonnage GRT Location 9.8.15 destroyer British 1.072 Firth of Moray 12.8.15 Jacona freighter British 2.969 Firth of Moray 13.8.15 Princess Caroline passenger ship British 888 Firth of Moray 23.8.15 Commander Boyle steam trawler British 290 Firth of Moray 26.8.15 Jasper naval trawler British 221 Firth of Moray 15.2.16 Wilston freighter British 2.611 Firth of Moray
+damaged by mines from Meteor on her second raiding voyage Date Ship Type Nationality Tonnage GRT Location 18.8.15 sloop minesweeper British 1.200 Firth of Moray 4.9.15 sloop minesweeper British 1.200 Firth of Moray
Notes
References Halpern, Paul (1994) A Naval History of World War I HB Hawkins, Nigel (2002) The Starvation Blockades Schmalenbach, Paul (1977) German Raiders Noppen, Ryan K. (2015) German Commerce Raiders 1914-1918 Walter, John (1994) The Kaiser's pirates : German surface raiders in World War One