Commerce raider

At the start of the war Germany had several cruisers overseas, and they began hunting Allied shipping. The most famous, Emden, sank or captured more than a dozen merchant ships, shelled Madras and attacked Penang before the Australian cruiser Sydney destroyed her on 9 November 1914. Karlsruhe sank after an explosion on board, and Königsberg was trapped in the Rufiji delta. By the end of 1914 the German cruisers had vanished from the oceans.

Germany then sent out auxiliary cruisers: converted merchant ships with hidden guns, often disguised as neutrals. Möwe, Wolf and the sailing ship Seeadler made long cruises in 1915–1918, sinking ships and laying mines. The term auxiliary cruiser was also used for armed liners of other navies, such as the British ships of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, which patrolled for the blockade rather than raided.