List of auxiliary and merchant cruisers

The following is a list, by period and country, of armed merchant ships used since late 19th century in the role of auxiliary cruisers, also called armed merchant cruisers.



Russian merchant cruisers
Note: This listing is incomplete.

Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Nationalists, whose navy was substantially outnumbered by the Republicans, made an extensive use of auxiliary cruisers during the Spanish civil war, two of them on loan from Italy:

Allied merchant cruisers
The Armed merchant cruisers were made by requisitioning large ships and providing them with guns and other equipment. They ranged from 6000 - 22000 LT. The armament varied but six 6 in guns with 3 in guns as secondary was usual. From 1941, many served as troopships.

Royal Australian Navy

 * HMAS Manoora (1935)
 * HMAS Westralia (1939)

Royal New Zealand Navy

 * Monowai

Royal Canadian Navy

 * HMCS Prince David (F89)
 * HMCS Prince Henry (F70)
 * HMCS Prince Robert (F56)

French Navy (Marine Nationale)
French auxiliary cruisers were armed with 138 mm, 152 mm or 150 mm guns, 75 mm and 37 mm AA guns and 13.2 mm or 8 mm AA HMG


 * Aramis (X01)
 * Ville D'Alger (X03)
 * Cap des Palmes (X03)
 * Ville d'Oran (X05)
 * El Mansour (X06)
 * Victor Scoelcher (X07) (lost on 6 May 1942)
 * Colombie (X10)
 * Charles Plumier (X11)
 * Djenné (X13)
 * El Kantara (X16)
 * El Djezair (X17)
 * Eridan (X18)
 * Barfleur (X19)
 * Quercy (X20)
 * Esterel (X21)
 * Mexique (X22) (hit a mine and sunk on 19 June 1940)

German auxiliary cruiser raiders


At the outbreak of war, the Kriegsmarine requisitioned a number of fast merchantmen and immediately sent them into naval shipyards to be converted into offensive auxiliary cruisers. These ships had at the time of building been fitted with extra strong decks specifically to facilitate the installation of military equipment when required, but this was the only difference between them and other merchantmen of the period. No precise plans had been drawn up for the conversion of these ships into warships, and consequently the conversion process was painfully long. Compared to the diversity of British auxiliary cruisers, the Hilfskreuzer were standardized insofar as possible. The ships themselves averaged approximately 7000 LT. Armament usually consisted of six 6 in guns, two to six torpedo tubes, and an assortment of 40 mm, 37 mm, and 20 mm automatic weapons. Most of these merchant raiders carried an Arado Ar 196 floatplane for reconnaissance. GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Kormoran, GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Komet, and GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Michel were also equipped with small motor torpedo boats. In addition to armament, increased fuel, water, and coal storage had to be provided for as well. Furthermore, the raiders could not abandon the crews of their captures, so space had to be provided for prisoners. The first Hilfskreuzer got under way in March 1940, shortly before the Norwegian campaign.


 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Orion (HSK-1)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Atlantis (HSK-2)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Widder (HSK-3)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Thor (HSK-4)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Pinguin (HSK-5)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Stier (HSK-6)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Komet (HSK-7)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Kormoran (HSK-8)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Michel (HSK-9)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Coronel (HSK-10)
 * GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Hansa (HSK-11)

Japanese armed merchant cruisers
Japan converted fourteen merchant ships to "armed merchant cruisers" but, by the end of 1943, five had been sunk and seven had been converted back to merchant ships.




 * Aikoku Maru
 * Akagi Maru
 * Asaka Maru
 * Awata Maru
 * Bangkok Maru
 * Gokoku Maru
 * Hokoku Maru
 * Kinryu Maru
 * Kiyozumi Maru
 * Kongō Maru
 * Noshiro Maru
 * Saigon Maru
 * Ukishima Maru

Italian armed merchant cruisers
Unlike the Germans and the Japanese, none of the armed merchant cruisers (or auxiliary cruisers) of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) were deployed to destroy or capture Allied merchant ships. All of them mounted two 4.7 in guns.


 * ITALIAN SHIP Ramb I - Lost on 27 February 1941 in battle with cruiser HMNZS Leander in the Indian Ocean.
 * ITALIAN SHIP Ramb II - Never active as an Italian armed merchant cruiser and, after being chartered by the Japanese as the Calitea II, lost on 12 January 1945
 * ITALIAN SHIP Ramb III - Converted into an escort vessel and never served as an armed merchant cruiser, she took part of the battle of Otranto
 * ITALIAN SHIP Ramb IV - Converted into a hospital ship and never served as an armed merchant cruiser