During the 1930s, disparities between the conventional warship strength of the "Kriegsmarine" (German Navy) and other nations caused by the Treaty of Versailles led the German military to recognise that auxiliary cruisers engaged in commerce raiding would be of use during future wars, and that suitable vessels should be identified. The merchant ship "Steiermark" ("Styria") was one such vessel; she was taken up by the "Kriegsmarine" at the start of World War II. Renamed , she was the largest and newest of nine raiders, referred to as "Hilfskreuzer" (auxiliary cruisers) or "Handelsstörkreuzer" (trade disruption cruisers).