"Kormoran" was commissioned in October 1940: after modification, she was long, and measured 8736 grt. The raider was fitted with six single guns (two each in the forecastle and quarterdeck, with the fifth and sixth on the centreline) as main armament, supplemented by two anti-tank guns, five anti-aircraft autocannons, and six torpedo tubes (a twin above-water mount on each side, and two single underwater tubes). The guns were concealed behind false hull plates and cargo hatch walls, which would swing clear when the order to decamouflage was given, while the secondary weapons sat on hydraulic lifts hidden within the superstructure. The ship could be disguised as one of several Allied or neutral vessels.