The raider KMS Thor, also known as Schiff (Ship) 10, was the fourth to leave Germany. Thor was originally the freighter Santa Cruz and built in 1938 by Deutsche Werft AG. On 6 June 1940, captain Otto Kähler took Thor out of harbor to embark on her 329-long day long first cruise, probably the most violent of all the raiders'.
Kähler sank his first six victims in 17 days, without special incidents. On 28 July, Thor was confronted by the Armored Merchant Cruiser (AMC) HMS Alcantara. Alcantara radioed for reinforcement and a tough fight ensued. Thor scored the first hit, but was hit by the Britisher later. Thirty-five minutes after the first salvo, Kähler ordered smoke and left the scene, not taking chances with his slightly damaged ship to finish off the battered AMC.
Kähler was able to sink only two ships in the next four months. On 5 December, Thor encountered the AMC HMS Carnarvon Castle. Kähler tried to run but the AMC closed in quickly. He decided to keep the AMC astern by sailing in circles, meanwhile making good use of Thor's three stern guns, a unique feature among the raiders. Thor registered several hits into the AMC, which suffered serious damage. An hour later Carnarvon Castle fled from the scene to Montevideo. Both Berlin and London claimed success, but the fact was that the British had to request an extension to the normal 24 hours allowed for warships in a neutral port to make the AMC seaworthy again. Thor left the engagement intact.
Another four months went by with Kähler having sunk just two more ships. On 4 April 1941, Thor engaged the AMC HMS Voltaire. Kähler, determined to finish off his opponent this time, pumped shells after shells into the Britisher. After a long and vicious fight, Voltaire was sunk; Thor once again was undamaged. Kähler, with more than half his ammunition expended, decided to head home, but not before sinking his last victim. On 6 June, Thor docked safely near Hamburg and Kähler hosted a big beer party, ending the ship's first cruise.
Thor, this time commanded by captain Günther Gumprich, started his 324-day long second cruise on 20 November 1941. Equipped with radar and new guns, Thor hunted for the Antartic whalers but found nothing. On 23 March 1942, Gumprich sank his first ship in the South Atlantic, where he sank four more in a little more than half a month. Gumprich shifted his operational area to the Indian Ocean, where he got five more victims in about two months.
Life on board was monotonous, only broken by the birth of a Chinese boy name Fritz, after his deliverer, Dr. Fritz Lehmann. Eventually it became harder to sink ships, and even harder to be supplied. After sinking his tenth victim in a dramatic fashion, and having depleted much of his fuel and ammunition, Gumprich was ordered to Japan. Thor arrived at Yokohoma on 10 October and there she remained; the oil-short Japan could not spare any fuel.
On 30 November, Thor was tied alongside the tanker Uckermark when the latter exploded into a huge fireball, sending flame and chunks of steel into the air. Thor was seriously burned out and sank with 13 crewmen. The cause of the explosion was unknown. Gumprich survived to command another raider, KMS Michel.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.
	Technical data and/or diagram of KMS Thor.
	An overview of the tactics used by the raiders that led to their enormous success.
	A map showing Thor's first journey.
	A map showing Thor's second journey.
	Otto Kähler, captain of Thor.
	Günther Gumprich (left), captain of Thor and Michel, on Thor's bridge with Lt. Bernhard Meckmann (center), and unidentified officer.
	The Thor, in action on three occasions with British armed merchant cruisers.
	The steamer Santa Cruz of the Oldenburg-Portuguese Steamship Company of Hamburg, lying alongside the quay at the port after which she was named, Santa Cruz de Teneriffe. Later she became the Thor.
	Thor as Santa Cruz.
	AMC Carnarvon Castle standing into Montevideo for repairs.
	AMC Voltaire in happier times on maiden voyage.
	Uckermark and Thor after the explosion in Yokohoma.

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