Where the United States Entered World War I: The SMS Cormoran

By Jason Lin, Guam Visitors Bureau

On Friday, April 7, 2017, the Guam Visitors Bureau commemorated the 100th anniversary of the scuttling of the SMS Cormoran II, a ship that holds a unique place in history for both Guam and the United States — an unusual role for a German ship. The ship was built in Germany to be part of the Russian merchant fleet as a combination passenger, cargo and mail carrier, and was originally named the SS Ryazan by Russia. With the advent of World War I, Russia and Germany became enemies. On August 4, 1914, the Ryazan was captured by the SMS Emden of Germany. The Ryazan was taken to Tsingtao, in the German colony of Kiautschou in Qingdao, China, where it was converted into an armed merchant raider using the armaments from…

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Sources (Digital) - 1 Issue, Q3-17

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