''Komet'' (German for
comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...
) (HSK-7) was an
auxiliary cruiser
An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
's ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' in the Second World War, intended for service as a
commerce raider
Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than enga ...
.
Known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 45,
to the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
she was named Raider B.
After completing one successful raid in the South Pacific, she was sunk by a British
motor torpedo boat in October 1942 whilst attempting to break out into the Atlantic on another.
Construction and conversion
Launched on 16 January 1937 as the
merchant ship
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are u ...
''Ems'' at
Deschimag A.G. Weser shipyard in
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
for
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL; North German Lloyd) was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on 20 February 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of th ...
(NDL), she was requisitioned at the start of the Second World War in 1939, converted into an auxiliary cruiser at
Howaldtswerke in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 2 June 1940. The ship was 115.5 m long and 15.3 m wide, had a draught of 6.5 m, and registered . She was powered by two diesel engines that gave her a speed of up to 16 knots (30 km/h).
As a commerce raider, ''Komet'' was armed with six 15 cm guns, one 7.5 cm gun, one 3.7 cm and four 2 cm AA guns, as well as six
torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s. She also carried a small 15-ton fast boat ("Meteorit", of the "LS2" class) intended to lay
mines and an
Arado 196 A1 seaplane.
First raid voyage
Breakout into the Pacific
After a long period of negotiations between Nazi Germany and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, the Soviets agreed to provide Germany with access to the
Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, ''Severnyy morskoy put'', shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Nov ...
through which Germany could access the Pacific ocean.
[Philbin III, Tobias R., ''The Lure of Neptune: German-Soviet Naval Collaboration and Ambitions, 1919–1941'', University of South Carolina Press, 1994, , pages 131–7] Although the two countries had signed the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
, long_name = Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27337, Moskau, Stalin und Ribbentrop im Kreml.jpg
, image_width = 200
, caption = Stalin and Ribbentrop shaking ...
(with secret protocols dividing Eastern Europe) and an undisclosed
commercial agreement (extensive military and civilian aid pact), the Soviet Union still wished to maintain the veneer of being neutral, and secrecy thus was required.
Initially, the two countries had agreed to send 26 ships, including four armed merchant cruisers, but because of a variety of difficulties, this was soon reduced to just one vessel, the ''Komet'',
the smallest one of the units that Germany wanted to use as auxiliary raiders.
Prior to being sent on the Northern Sea Route, the ''Komet'' was equipped with a specially strengthened bow and a propeller suitable for navigating through ice.
[Philbin III, Tobias R., ''The Lure of Neptune: German-Soviet Naval Collaboration and Ambitions, 1919–1941'', University of South Carolina Press, 1994, , page 138–39] Under the command of ''Kapitän zur See'' (later ''Konteradmiral'')
Robert Eyssen, HSK7 departed for her first raiding voyage from
Gotenhafen
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...
(now
Gdynia
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
), on 3 July 1940 with a crew of 270.
The ship stopped in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
on 9 July to refuel and resupply.
[Philbin III, Tobias R., ''The Lure of Neptune: German-Soviet Naval Collaboration and Ambitions, 1919–1941'', University of South Carolina Press, 1994, , page 139] Then she started again her route towards the Arctic Ocean.
With the consent of the then supposedly neutral Soviet Union, ''Komet'' initially made her way along the Norwegian coast disguised as the Soviet icebreaker ''
Semyon Dezhnev
Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnyov ( rus, Семён Ива́нович Дежнёв, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ dʲɪˈʐnʲɵf; sometimes spelled Dezhnyov; c. 1605 – 1673) was a Russian explorer of Siberia and the first European to sail through t ...
''.
While waiting in
Teriberka
Teriberka (russian: Тери́берка) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Barents Sea coast, at the mouth of the river Teriberka.
History
As a settlement, Teriberka was first mention ...
Bay in July and August because of Soviet security concerns, she took the fake name the ''Donau''.
With assistance from the Soviet
icebreaker ''Lenin'', she passed through the several Arctic Ocean passages in August.
[Philbin III, Tobias R., ''The Lure of Neptune: German-Soviet Naval Collaboration and Ambitions, 1919–1941'', University of South Carolina Press, 1994, , pages 140–1] She also later received help from the
''Joseph Stalin''.
In early September, the ''Komet'' crossed the Bering Strait into the Pacific Ocean.
The passage was an amazing achievement and would have ended in disaster had it not been for the Soviets, whose help had come at a price: 950,000
Reichsmarks
The (; sign: ℛℳ; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until 20 June 1948 in West Germany, where it was replaced with the , and until 23 June 1948 in East Germany, where it was replaced by the East German mark. The Reichs ...
.
For many of the German crew, this was their first experience in Arctic waters.
Once in the Pacific, Eyssen sailed down to the Japanese island of
Lamutrik and met the ''
Orion'' and ''
Kulmerland'' in mid-October. After a conference on strategy, the three captains decided to work together, concentrating on the New Zealand to Panama passage taken by most of the Allied merchant ships. They decided on Japanese disguises – ''Komet'' and ''Kulmerland'' had the names ''Manyo Maru'' and ''Tokio Maru'' painted on their hulls.
Raiding in South Pacific waters
In early November, ''Komet'' resupplied and refueled in Japan, disguised as the Japanese merchantman ''Manio Maru''. She operated with the
''Orion'', disguised as ''Mayebashi Maru'' and the supply ship ''
Kulmerland'', posing as the ''Tokio Maru''.
Together with the other two ships, on 25 November she sank the coaster ''Holmwood''
and two days later, when 300 miles east of New Zealand, the passenger liner
''Rangitane'', raiding her precious food load. By that time, ''Komet'' had already been at sea for 140 days and Eyssen admitted in his war diary that he had become depressed and frustrated at not having encountered the enemy.
During December, ''Komet'' and ''Orion'' casually
met and sank in the waters surrounding
Nauru Island five Allied merchant ships, with a combined tonnage of about 41,000 tons, that had been waiting off the island to load
phosphate
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...
(of which ''Komet'' sank three).
[John Asmussen]
''Hilfskreuzer (Auxiliary Cruiser) Komet''
Retrieved 16 October 2010[Rafal Kaczmarek (in Polish): ''Korsarski rejs wsród lodów obu biegunów'' orsair raid through ice of both polesin: Okrety Wojenne Nr. 11 (1994 r.), p.32–39] Between 6 and 7 December the ''Komet'' sank the merchant ships ''Triona'', ''Vinni'' and ''Komata'',
[Robinson, pp. 128–130] taking more than 500 prisoners, who were landed a few days after on
Emirau Island
Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language. Emira is part of what o ...
.
[Duffy, p. 134]
Attack on Nauru
At the end of December Eyssen planned to lay a minefield at the entrance of the
Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
's harbour. He was forced to abandon his plan due to an engine failure on the ''Meteorit'' boat that was designed for the mission.
He, therefore, decided to set course towards
Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...
, wanting to land his troops and occupy the
phosphate
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...
processing and loading facilities on the island. The bad weather though convinced Eyssen to change his plans into a direct attack to the island infrastructures.
On 27 December 1940 the ''Komet'' sent a warning to the island and announced that the attack was about to begin. She shelled and heavily damaged the loading plants and mooring buoys of the port. The bombardment lasted an hour, and it caused the loss of 13,000 tons of oil.
The Nauru phosphate extraction facilities did not resume their pre-war output levels until the end of the conflict.
The action also led to the promotion of Eyssen to ''Konteradmiral'' on 1 January 1941.
After the Nauru attack (probably the major German success in the Pacific operational area during the war) the ''Komet'' received the order to set a new course towards south, crossing the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
and scouting the presence of Allied
whaler
A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales.
Terminology
The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...
s.
[Robinson, p. 200] After a few months with no success, the ship reached the shores of
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
on 16 February 1941; later on 6 March she had a stop on the French
Kerguelen Islands
The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic constituting one of the two exposed parts of the Kerguelen Plateau, a large ...
and had there a brief meeting with the other German auxiliary ship
''Pinguin''.
Operations in the Atlantic Ocean and Galapagos Islands
The hunt for allied ships in the Indian Ocean had no success; after some months, Eyssen sailed towards the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
, hoping to find more convoys in the
Pan-American Security Zone
During the early years of World War II before the United States became a formal belligerent, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a region of the Atlantic, adjacent to the Americas as the Pan-American Security Zone. Within this zone, United Sta ...
, recently opened to military actions from the ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' high command. From 14 July 1941 until 25 July the ''Komet'' was resupplied by the German freighter ''Anneliese Essberger'' near the
Tuamotu Archipelago
The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extendin ...
.
[Waters, p. 51] At this time, the ''Komet'' was disguised as the
Osaka Shosen Kaisha
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ( ja, 株式会社商船三井, Kabushiki-gaisha Shōsen Mitsui; abbreviated MOL) is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest shipping companies in the world.
MO ...
line ''Ryoku Maru''.
On 14 August the ship met near the
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...
the British freighter ''Australind'' and sunk it.
[Duffy, p. 138] Three days later the German cruiser met the Dutch 7,300 ton freighter ''Kota Nopan'', loading more than 2,000 tons of
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
and
manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...
. Due to her precious load, the supply ship was spared from sinking and captured. On 19 August ''Komet'' met the freighter ''Devon'' and sank it.
Except for some casualties, the German sailors saved the crew members of the enemy ships, who became prisoners of war.
[Bertke, p. 205]
Pacific Ocean and return voyage
After these three successes, Eyssen decided to move out of the area, fearful of the reaction of the Allied navy. ''Komet'' headed towards
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
accompanied by the captured ''Kota Nopan''. At the end of September she had a brief meeting with the auxiliary cruiser
''Atlantis'' and transferred to her a part of the prisoners and cargo load
[Duffy, p. 30]
''Komet'' then received the order to return to Germany. The ship set a new course towards
Cape Horn
Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...
, sailing at a slower speed in the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
disguised as the Portuguese freighter ''S. Thomé''.
The captured ''Kopa Notan'' was sent as a prize to
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, in
occupied France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
, arriving there on 17 November. ''Komet'' reached the French port of
Cherbourg
Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...
on 26 November,
disguised as the freighter ''Sperrbrecher 52''. The day after she had a short stop in
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
and then sailed towards Germany. Some British
torpedo bombers
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
spotted her in the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
but were not able to sink her. After having landed all her prisoners of war at
Cuxhaven
Cuxhaven (; ) is an independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has ...
,
the auxiliary cruiser finally reached
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
on 30 November 1941
[Bertke, p. 368] after a voyage of 516 days and about . The ship had sunk seven ships (two in conjunction with the raider ''Orion'') for a total of 41,568 tons.
Second raid
The ''Komet'' was prepared for a second raiding voyage in October 1942, after 11 months of complete repair. Only two of her original officers had remained on board and ''Kapitän zur See'' Ulrich Brocksien took over command.
On 7 October 1942 the raider, disguised as a
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
, departed from the Dutch-occupied port of
Vlissingen
Vlissingen (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic l ...
with the objective
of reaching the Atlantic. After a short stay in
Dunquerque
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.[Type 35 torpedo boat
The Type 35 torpedo boat was a ship class, class of a dozen torpedo boats built for Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' in the late 1930s. Although the first boats were completed a few months after the start of World War II in September 1939, none of t ...]
s. Unsure of the exact route that the German ship would follow, and aware of the fast speed of the German vessels, four groups of warships were assembled to make an interception to the West of the
Cherbourg Peninsula
The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...
. Group A, consisted of HMS ''
Cottesmore'', ''
Quorn
Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products, or the company that makes them. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin.
Quorn is sold as bo ...
'', ''
Albrighton'', ''Glaisdale'' and ''Eskdale''. Two flotillas of
MTBs made up Groups C and D. These three groups headed for a position near Cap de la Hague. Group B (the destroyers ''
Brocklesby
__NOTOC__
Brocklesby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south from Habrough, south-west from Immingham, and is located close to the border of both North Lincolnshire and North ...
'', ''
Fernie'', ''
Tynedale
__NOTOC__
Tynedale is an area and former local government district in south-west Northumberland, England. The district had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 Census. Its main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe. The ...
'' and the Polish ''
Krakowiak
The Krakowiak or Cracovienne is a fast, syncopated Polish folk dance in duple time from the region of Kraków and Lesser Poland. The folk outfit worn for the dance has become the national costume of Poland, most notably, the rogatywka peaked hat ...
'') were further West, near the Channel Islands.
The German convoy were spotted by a
Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
aircraft in the middle of the
Baie de la Seine
The Baie de Seine (Bay of the Seine River) is a bay in northern France.
Geography
It is a wide, rectangular inlet of the English Channel, approximately 100 kilometres (east-west) by 45 kilometres, bounded in the west by the Cotentin Peninsula, i ...
, travelling at 16 knots, and groups A,C and D hurried to get into position. In the particularly dark night and moderately rough sea conditions, the MTB flotillas became separated from the destroyers.
At just before 1:00 am, ''Cottesmore'' sighted the German vessels. The Allied ships fired star shells to illuminate the target and then opened fire. To the British attackers, the Germans appeared taken completely by surprise and in the confusion, opened fire on each other, until eventually firing torpedoes at the Allied ships (all of which missed). Two of the escorts were on fire and the other German ships turned inshore to gain the protection of the coastal artillery batteries.
The most junior commanding officer in group D was
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
Robert Drayson, who had just taken over in MTB 236 after the previous C.O. had gone sick. As junior, Drayson was last in the line of MTBs and became separated from the rest of the flotilla as they crossed the Channel. Drayson continued independently to Cap de La Hague. None of the other Allied MTBs arrived in the area. After a while, Drayson saw star shells and tracer as the battle started and increased speed. He decided to approach the action from the shoreward side to catch any German vessel trying to get away. This put MTB 236 in position to see ''Komet'' illuminated by a star shell. The German ship was travelling at more than 15 knots, exchanging fire with the Allied destroyers who were in pursuit. Drayson's MTB was ahead of the German ship and crept in at slow speed to fire two torpedoes at a range of 500 yards. MTB 236 immediately turned away and "crash-started" her main engines to escape under cover of a smoke-screen. ''Komet'' had now sighted her and switched fire. Within a few seconds, both torpedoes struck ''Komet,'' followed by a huge secondary explosion. The force of this blast lifted the stern of MTB 236 out of the water and put out of action two of the boat's three engines, leaving her to return home at reduced speed.
Group B had moved to join the battle and engaged some of the remaining German vessels, but with the main target gone and shore battery fire now becoming more accurate, broke off the action and returned home.
''Komet'' sank with no survivors. Sub-Lt Drayson was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
for his part in the action. The Allied forces experienced only two minor casualties, despite being under heavy fire.
''Komet'' discovered
The wreck of HK ''Komet'' was discovered by nautical archaeologist
Innes McCartney
Innes McCartney (born 1964) is a British nautical archaeologist and historian. He is a Visiting Fellow at Bournemouth University in the UK.
Career
McCartney is a nautical archaeologist specializing in the interaction of shipwreck archaeology ...
off Cap de la Hague in July 2006 and was surveyed by a team led by him in 2007. She is in two halves and upside down, with a large part of the center section blown away by the explosion that sank her. She lies in
of water.
Raiding career
:Victims: (Source)
* 25 November 1940 ''Holmwood''
* 6 December 1940 ''Triona''
* 7 December 1940 ''Vinni''
* 7 December 1940 ''Komata''
* 14 August 1941 ''Australind''
* 17 August 1941 ''Kota Nopan'' (captured)
* 19 August 1941 ''Devon''
Sunk together with ''Orion''
* 27 November 1940
RMS ''Rangitane''
* 8 December 1940 ''Triadic''
* 8 December 1940 ''Triaster''
Notes
References
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
* New Zealand Official War Histor
The German raider ''Komet''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Komet
World War II commerce raiders
Germany–Soviet Union relations
Maritime incidents in October 1942
World War II cruisers of Germany
Ships built in Bremen (state)
World War II shipwrecks in the English Channel
1937 ships
Auxiliary cruisers of the Kriegsmarine