In one incident, the German (ex-merchantman "Steiermark") managed to surprise and sink the Australian light cruiser , which approached too close, though "Kormoran" was also sunk in the engagement. This was the only occasion in history when an armed merchantman managed to sink a modern warship; in most cases, auxiliary cruiser raiders tried to avoid confrontation with warships. "Kormoran"s attack upon "Sydney" was motivated by desperation. However, she was not the most successful German raider of World War II (both and scored higher kill tonnages). Another, , was also sunk in a mutually destructive engagement with the American Liberty ship .