| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | Cap Trafalgar |
| Namesake | Cape Trafalgar |
| Owner | Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft |
| Builder | AG Vulcan, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 334 |
| Launched | 31 July 1913 |
| In service | 1 April 1914 |
| Homeport | Hamburg |
| Fate | Sunk in combat, 14 September 1914 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 18,710 GRT |
| Displacement | 23,640 tons[1] |
| Length | 613 ft (187 m) |
| Beam | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Installed power | 15,000 shaft horsepower |
| Propulsion | Twin steam 4-cylinder triple expansion engines with turbines; 3 propellers |
| Speed | 17 knots |
SS Cap Trafalgar was a German ocean liner launched in 1913 for the Hamburg Süd line. In 1914, she was converted for use as an auxiliary cruiser during World War I. She was the first armed merchant cruiser sunk by a ship of the same class; she was destroyed by HMS Carmania,[2] also a converted ocean liner, in a furious action in the South Atlantic on 14 September 1914. It was the world's first battle between former ocean liners.[3]
- ^ Schmalenbach p48
- ^ SUPPLEMENT to The London Gazette Of TUESDAY, the 6th of APRIL, 1915. p. 3550.
For services in the action between H.M.S. "Carmania" and the German Armed Merchant Cruiser "Cap Trafalgar," on 14th September, 1914, when the latter vessel was sunk—
- ^ Robert K. Massie (2003). "Ch. 11. Admiral Cradock's Voyage". Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea. Ballantine Books.
Quote: Cap Trafalgar fired back, and the world's first battle between ocean liners began.