Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, First World War

Scuttling of SMS Cormoran

Scuttling of SMS Cormoran was a naval engagement fought in 1917 at Apra Harbor, in what is now Guam. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Apra Harbor. It was part of the Asian and Pacific theater of World War I, which ran from 1914 to 1919. The recorded result: American victory. Recorded strength: Land: 3 artillery pieces; 1 artillery battery; Sea: Auxiliary cruiser Supply against Auxiliary cruiser Cormoran.

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The German merchant raider SMS Cormoran, ex Ryazan.
The German merchant raider SMS Cormoran, ex Ryazan.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1917
WhereApra Harbor, Guam13.433N, 144.667E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeAmerican victory
BelligerentsUnited StatesagainstGerman Empire
Casualties and lossesNoneand9 killed; Cormoran scuttled; Surviving crew captured
Part ofAsian and Pacific theater of World War I1914 to 1919

Where it sits in the Asian and Pacific theater of World War I

Siege of Tsingtao, 1914Battle of Bita Paka, 1914Siege of Toma, 1914Scuttling of SMS Cormoran, 191719141917Scuttling of SMS Cormoran, 1917
4 placed engagements of the Asian and Pacific theater of World War I in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1917 (year precision)
PlaceApra Harbor, Guam
13.433N, 144.667E
KindNaval engagement, First World War
StrengthLand: 3 artillery pieces; 1 artillery battery; Sea: Auxiliary cruiser SupplyAuxiliary cruiser Cormoran
Casualties and lossesNone9 killed; Cormoran scuttled; Surviving crew captured
Commanders
  • Roy Campbell Smith
  • Adalbert Zuckschwerdt
Scuttling of SMS CormoranScuttling of SMS CormoranBattle of GuamCapture of GuamCapture of Guam100 km13.433N, 144.667E
Placed at Apra Harbor; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1917

Scuttling of SMS Cormoran is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 2 in present-day Guam.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7439615, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Scuttling of SMS Cormoran, revision 1382534689, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.