The Ship That Hunted Itself - One of the Strangest Stories of WW1

The 18,000-ton British ocean liner Carmania was two days out of Liverpool. The 18,000-ton German liner Cap Trafalgar was in Beunos Aires after her maiden trip. It was 5 August 1914, the night war was declared. Both captains were ordered to convert their ships into armed merchant cruisers. Because the work was hurried and less than thorough (both ships supplemented their meagre armour plating with sandbags, and on the Cap Trafalgar the ship's orchestra became stokers) each resorted to disguise. By coincidence, each ship disgiuised herself as the other. By an even greater coincidence, they met in the south Atlantic - and fought one of the most curious and heroic engagements of the war...