In Service: 9 December 1939 to 4 May 1945
Ordered:
Builder: Blohm
& Voss, Hamburg
Construction No:
Laid down:
Launched:
Commissioned: 9 December 1939
Type: Auxiliary cruiser
Class: Hilfskreuzer (Raider), converted freighter
Displacement: 15,700 tons
Length: 148 m
Beam: 18.6 m
Draft: 8.2 m
Propulsion: 1 × shaft steam turbines Blohm &
Voss,
4 × boilers producing up to 6,200 shp
Propellers: 1
Speed: 14 knots
Range: 35,000 nautical miles at 10 knots
Crew: 356 men and officers
Armament: 6 × 15 cm, 1 × 75 mm, 2 ×
3.7 cm,
4 × 20 mm, 6 × 53.3 cm torpedo tubes, 228 EMC
mines
Armour
Aircraft: 1 ×
Arado
Ar 196 seaplane
Electronics:
Operators: Kriegsmarine
Variants:
Other: Auxiliary
cruisers
Articles:
Orion (HSK-1) was an auxiliary cruiser of the Kriegsmarine
which functioned as a merchant raider throughout World War
II. Constructed by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg in 1930/31 she
was converted by the Kriegsmarine at the beginning of World
War II into the auxiliary cruiser Orion. It was commissioned
on 9 December 1939. It was called Schiff 36 in the KM. Her
Royal Navy identification was Raider A.
9 December 1939
The Orion is commissioned.
24 April 1940
The Orion sinks the British tramp steamer Haxby (5,207 t)
19 June 1940
The Orion captured the Norwegian Tropic Sea (8,750 t)
19 June 1940
The Orion sinks the Canadian RMS Niagara by mine (13,415 t)
June 1940
Unconfirmed reports that the Orion sinks British freighter
Port Bowen (8,276 t) and Baltannic (1,500 t) by mine
16 August 1940
The Orion sinks the French steamer Notou (2,489 t)
20 August 1940
The Orion sinks the New Zealand refrigerated freighter Turakina
(9,691 t)
14 October 1940
The Orion sinks the Norwegian freighter Ringwood (7,203 t)
25 November 1940
The Orion and Komet sinks the New Zealand Holm Line coaster
Holmwood (546 t)
27 November 1940
The Orion and Komet sinks the New Zealand shipping company
passenger liner Rangitane (16,712 t)
6 Decmber 1940
The Orion and Komet sinks the British Phosphate freighter
Triona (4,413 t)
7 Decmber 1940
The Orion and Komet scuttled the Norwegian Vinni (5,181 t)
7 Decmber 1940
The Orion and Komet scuttled the British freighter Komata
(3,900 t)
8 Decmber 1940
The Orion and Komet scuttled the British freighter Triadic
(6,378 t)
8 Decmber 1940
The Orion and Komet scuttled the British freighter Triaster
(6,032 t)
14 May 1941
The Orion sinks the New Zealand minesweeper HMNZS Puriri by
mine (927 t)
29 July 1941
The Orion sinks the British freighter Chaucer
4 May 1945
The Orion was used to transport refugees over the Baltic Sea.
and on her last trip she was attacted by bombers and sunk
with 4,000 refugees on board. All but 150 were rescued.
1952
The Orion was broken up, and scrapped
Kurt
Weyher
Takes command on 9 December 1939
Ends command on 24 August 1941
Joachim
Asmus
Takes command on November 1944
Ends command on May 1945
German Warships, 1815-1945: Major Surface Vessels.
ISBN-10: 0851775330
German Warships, 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels.
ISBN-10: 155750301X
German warships of the Second World War.
ISBN-10: 0668040378
For a complete list of
sources
