CORMORAN

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Built as a light unprotected cruiser by the Imperial Yard at Gdansk for the Imperial German Navy.
August 1890 keel laid down.
17 May 1892 launched under the name SMS CORMORAN, one of the Bussard class. Launching was performed by KzS Aschmann. She was named after the seabird Cormoran.
Displacement 1.612 ton, maximum 1.887 tons, dim. 82.6 x 12.7 x 5.35m. (draught) length bpp. 79.6m.
Powered by a triple expansion steam engines 2.806 ihp, twin screws, speed 15.7 knots.
Bunker capacity 310-ton coal.
Range by 10 knots, 2.470 mile.
Armament: 8 – 10.5 cm quick-firing guns, 5 – 3.7 cm guns and 2 – 21.7cm torpedo tubes placed on upperdeck
Crew 161.
25 July 1893 commissioned.
Trials between 25 July and 22 September 1893.
02 October 1894 commissioned.

She sailed thereafter to the German East Africa Station, first as relief vessel of the gunboat WOLF, but after political tensions in South Africa she was ordered to proceed to this area.
05 July 1895 she sailed for the German Far Eastern Squadron as relief vessel for the cruiser-corvette MARIE. She arrived 13 September in Singapore and took over the MARIE’s duties.

July 1896 she took part in the salvage work on the German gunboat ILITES, who stranded during a storm and completely was destroyed.
November 1897 a landing corps from CORMORAN took part in the landings and occupation of the Kiatschou Bay (Bay of Jiaozhou, China).

Early 1899 the COMORANT was ordered to proceed to Samoa, during the voyage to Samoa she ran in the night of 23/24 March on a reef on the westpoint of New-Pommern, (German New Guinea), by shifting the heavy guns to the stern, she was towed of the reef by the NDL steamer STETTIN on 29 March 1899.
17 June she arrived at Apia, Samoa.
Then till September 1902 stationed on the Apia Station.

23 May 1903 sailed for Germany, and was decommissioned at Gdansk.
1907 Overhauled and refitted at the Imperial Yard at Gdansk, new boilers placed and re-rigged from schooner-barque to a topsail schooner.
01 May 1909 commissioned.
During the Turkish revolution was the CORMORAN stationed in Asia Minor, thereafter again to the South Seas.
November 1909 surveyed the Kaiserin-Augusta River (Sepik River) in Kaiser-Wilhelm-Land the first 183 miles up-streams.
July 1910 she joined the German cruiser squadron off Apia, the next months worked together with the EMDEN and was involved in striking down the unrest in Ponape.
May 1912 for repair in Tsingtau, then from 24 February 1913 classed as gunboat.
30 May 1914 arrived Tsingtau for repair.
06 August 1914 decommissioned.
Crew and armament put on board the captured Russian steamer RJASAN (she was captured by the EMDEN)
RJASAN was commissioned as a auxiliary cruiser and renamed CORMORAN (she is also on a stamp of Palau .)
The stripped hull of the CORMORAN was scuttled in the night of 28/29 September 1914 inside of the Tsingtau Bay in a position app. 36 03N 120 16E.

On Palau 1985 44c sg 84. 1988 25c sg MS 236, scott 196c.

Source. Navicula. http://www.kreuzergeschwader.de/kreuzer/cormoran.htm

[aukepalmhof]

German warship CORMORAN on Palau 1988 25c sgMS236, scott196c
Guam Guard Mail 10c