Chapter IV: The Pirate and Neutrals

"_The German soul is God's soul: it shall and will rule over mankind._"[E]--PASTOR W. LEHMANN.

The German Naval Prize Regulations naturally contain instructions for the guidance of German naval officers whose duty brings them into contact with neutral shipping. Thus, Article 81 directs that--"In stopping and searching a vessel under a neutral flag the commander must avoid, as far as possible, diverting her from her route. He will in general endeavour to cause the vessel as little inconvenience as possible. Especially in no circumstances may he require the master to come on board the warship or to send a boat, members of the crew, the ship's papers, &c."

Here is Article 82:--"If the commander wishes to stop a ship he must summon her to stop by signal and by sounding the siren. At the latest, ensign and pendant are to be shown simultaneously with this signal; by night the ensign is to be illuminated. During the chase it is not necessary to show the war flag, any mercantile flag may be flown."

Article 113 states that--"A commander is only justified in destroying a neutral ship ... for carrying contraband ... for breach of blockade, or for unneutral service" if bringing her into port "might expose the warship to danger or imperil the success of the operations in which she is engaged at the time."

Germany's outrageous conduct with regard to neutral shipping dates back to 1915. Indeed, a book could be filled entirely with instances similar to the small selection here collected. German regulations, international law, and the dictates of common humanity have been freely disregarded by the German submarine service almost from the beginning of the war. There can be no doubt that the Imperial German Government speaks with one voice to the world and with another voice to its submariners, whose deeds show what kind of orders they receive from Berlin.

The Portuguese steamship _Douro_ was bound for Oporto on the 3rd April, 1915, when at 3 p.m. she was torpedoed without warning. She began to sink rapidly, and at 4.30 p.m. the master and crew left the ship in their life-boat. Half-an-hour later the _Douro_ went down. At 9 a.m. next day the life-boat reached Helwick Lightship, and at 4 p.m. that day the master and crew were taken off by the steamer _Tudwall_ and brought to Swansea.

On the 14th April, 1915, the Swedish steamer _Folke_ was 52 miles from Peterhead at 10 p.m., _en route_ to Farne Island from Stavanger. Suddenly there was a big explosion under the stern of the ship; the propeller was blown off; and wooden pit-props in the cargo were sent flying through the air in all directions. The crew took to the boats, and after leaving the ship, the master, Captain Ohlssen, heard the noise of a submarine's motor twice, first on one side of his boat, then on the other. He recognised the sound, having on several previous occasions seen submarines under way. The _Folke_ remained afloat for about 2½ hours. There were no casualties.

On the 15th April, 1915, the Dutch steamer _Katwijk_, while on voyage from Baltimore to Rotterdam, was torpedoed by a German submarine. She carried a cargo of grain for the Dutch Government, and was lying at anchor 7 miles west of the North Hinder at the time of the outrage. A fire broke out soon after the explosion of the torpedo, and the vessel sank in 20 minutes. There were no casualties.

On the 19th April, our Minister at the Hague sent the following message to the British Foreign Office: "Minister for Foreign Affairs told French Minister to-day that German Foreign Office admitted to Netherlands Minister at Berlin that it was a German submarine which sank the _Katwijk_, and added that it was an unfortunate accident." On the 20th April the German Government informed the Netherlands Minister that they would make enquiries, and, if proved that it was a German submarine, they would express their regret and indemnify the Netherlands Government for their loss. On the very same day, 20th April, the following was included in the German official wireless news: "The special Rotterdam correspondent of the _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ reports that the description of the boat which torpedoed the _Katwijk_, and the behaviour of the crew, lead one to believe that the vessel was of English nationality." On the 10th May our Minister at the Hague communicated this message to the British Foreign Office: "Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs tells me that he has just heard from Berlin that German Government acknowledge that _Katwijk_ was torpedoed by a German submarine. German Government fully apologise for the mistake and promise an ample indemnity."

It seems probable that the German Government had a shrewd suspicion that it was one of their own submarines which sank the _Katwijk_, even as early as the 19th April. However, this did not prevent them from sending out broadcast in their official wireless news on the 20th a strong suggestion that a British submarine was responsible--a little illustration of German official methods.

The American oil-tank steamer _Gulflight_ was torpedoed without warning off the Scilly Islands at 12.50 p.m. on the 2nd May, 1915. One seaman and the wireless operator were drowned, while the master died soon afterwards from shock. The remaining 35 members of the crew were saved. The submarine remained on the surface for three minutes after discharging the first torpedo; then submerged, and 25 minutes later struck the vessel with a second torpedo.

On the 25th May, 1915, the American steamer _Nebraskan_ was 50 miles W.S.W. from the Fastnet Rock. The sea was smooth and the weather calm, but at about 9 p.m. she was torpedoed without warning by a German submarine. The crew took to their boats and, after standing by the ship for an hour, returned on board, and at 10.30 started for Liverpool. At about 1.25 a.m. they met with two vessels sent by the British Admiralty in answer to a wireless call, and Liverpool was reached in safety.

The _Betty_ was a Danish schooner, carrying a cargo of coal and coke to Copenhagen. At noon on the 25th May, 1915, in fine weather, when 132 miles from the Farne Islands, a torpedo was seen rapidly approaching the ship. She was struck between No. 3 hold and the engine-room on the port side, after which no further sign of the submarine was seen. The _Betty_ listed heavily to port; both life-boats were swung out and manned. While the boats were standing by, a Swedish vessel, the _Waldemar_, of Stockholm, appeared on the scene and picked up the crew.

The _Svein Jarl_ was a Norwegian steamship, which on the 9th June, 1915, was on a voyage from Warkworth to a port in East Finmark. Suddenly a submarine bearing no flag or sign of nationality was seen approaching at full speed. The submarine turned sharply, and a few moments later the steamer was struck by a torpedo. The force of the explosion threw the crew into the sea, their ship going down within 30 seconds. A Dutch fishing-boat picked up the master and three men and landed them five days later at Scheveningen; but 12 of the crew were lost.

The Norwegian steamer _Rym_ was torpedoed without warning by a German submarine at 7.26 p.m. on the 14th July, 1915, the weather being fine and clear, with a choppy sea. The master had just gone below when an explosion occurred which knocked him senseless for several moments. The second engineer was killed in the engine-room, and the ship sank in three minutes. The mate saw the periscope of a submarine immediately after the explosion.

On the 18th August, 1915, the Norwegian schooner _Magda_ was torpedoed by a German submarine without warning. It was 11.35 p.m., the weather being fine. The ship had the Norwegian flag painted on her sides, which were brilliantly illuminated. A torpedo was suddenly seen coming towards the ship, which was struck just afterwards on the starboard side. After the explosion the _Magda_ began to go down by the head, and the crew took to their boats. They were lucky enough to be picked up 20 minutes afterwards without casualty.

The Dutch steamer _Tubantia_ was 4 miles west of the North Hinder on the evening of the 16th March, 1916. The ship was brilliantly lighted; two arc lamps projected beyond her sides, illuminating her name, which was painted on her side in large letters. Two more lamps threw their light over the name on the stern of the vessel; while between her funnels an illuminated nameboard was suspended. There could be no possible doubt as to the identity and nationality of the _Tubantia_; but, all the same, she was torpedoed that night by a German submarine.

The Germans attempted to evade responsibility for the deed. On the 17th March Berlin sent this message to the German Embassy at Washington: "English mines, on account of their construction, frequently get loose and float, and, that being so, _Tubantia_ most certainly struck and destroyed by English mine." Unfortunately for Berlin, pieces of metal were found in two of the steamer's boats, and these, the German Government were bound to admit, belonged to a German torpedo. A new official story was accordingly concocted by Berlin. In June the _North German Gazette_ published the result of the German official investigation into the sinking of the _Tubantia_. The gist of the finding was that the _Tubantia_ had been sunk by a floating German torpedo, which had been fired at and missed a British destroyer 10 days before.

To make this yarn more plausible, it was stated that the British destroyer had three funnels, that she was in company with two other destroyers, and that there was a British submarine in the neighbourhood. To explain away the illegal use of torpedoes which float for 10 days after being discharged, it was pointed out that this might happen through some flaw in construction. Out of this cock-and-bull story one fact at least emerged clearly enough, namely, that the Dutch steamer had been destroyed by a German torpedo.

A Court of Enquiry was held in Holland, at which the evidence was carefully sifted. At this court both the fourth mate and the man in the crow's nest swore to having seen the track of a torpedo coming towards the ship before she was struck. The court's verdict was: "The evidence given by the said witnesses and experts, considered in all its bearings, proves that the explosion was caused by a torpedo, which at some distance, under an angle of six points, was launched by a torpedo-boat or a submarine, without any previous warning. This torpedo appears to have been a bronze Schwarzkopf torpedo, and was aimed at the _Tubantia_, there being no other ship near."

The fact that the wake of a torpedo approaching the ship was seen by two men in the steamer proves that the German explanation about a floating torpedo was false. A floating torpedo would, of course, make no track in the water. The whole case is a further exposure of German methods.

On the 3rd February the Norwegian sailing vessel _Tamara_ fell in with a German submarine at 9.30 a.m. Although flying the Norwegian colours and bearing the name of the ship and her country painted on her side, this vessel was sunk by the U-boat. Before sinking her, the Germans searched the ship and carried away everything portable, including the clothes of the crew. The boats were picked up at 10 p.m. by a patrol vessel.

The Norwegian steamer _Solbakken_ was sunk by a German submarine off Finisterre on the 4th February, 1917. One man was drowned and one died of the cold. Thirteen survivors were landed at Gijon.

A German submarine sighted the Peruvian barque _Lorton_ on the 5th February, 1917, and at once opened fire at 3,000 yards. The Peruvian colours were hoisted, the ship was hove to, and the master proceeded in his boat to the submarine. He was questioned by a young officer who spoke very good English, and who seemed to know all about the _Lorton_. This officer told the master to return to his ship and bring back a German who was on board. Five of the submarine's crew went back with him, and they found the German mate of the _Lorton_ with his things all packed ready to be taken off. The Germans took the master's watch, refused to return his papers, and sank his ship. The master is of opinion that his German mate had given certain information about the movements of the ship. The man sent a letter off from Colon.

On the 7th February the Swedish steamship _Varing_, bound from Savannah to Helsingborg, met with a German submarine. Although the steamer was hove to and hoisted the Swedish flag, the submarine continued firing for 20 minutes, her master counting 20 shells in that period. Her crew were allowed no time to save their personal belongings or to furnish the life-boats with provisions. The master made a strong protest against the methods of the submarine commander when he reached Helsingborg.

In fine weather and a calm sea the Greek steamship _Aghios Spyridon_ was sunk without warning by a submerged U-boat at 1.5 a.m. on the 12th February, 1917. The vessel sank in a few seconds after being torpedoed, and the crew had but little chance of escape. Out of 21 men, 16 were lost, one Chilian and one Spaniard being amongst the killed. The survivors, who clung to floating wreckage, were eventually picked up by a patrol-boat and landed at Penzance.

The Norwegian vessel _Falls of Afton_ was at sea on the 20th February, 1917, with the Norwegian colours painted on her side. At nine o'clock in the morning, in hazy weather, a German submarine rose to the surface right ahead of the ship, waited till the vessel approached, then steered to starboard and lay about 4 cables distant. No other vessel was in sight. The Norwegian colours were hoisted, but the submarine fired three shots, one of which went through a sail. The ship was hove to and was abandoned by her crew, the Germans sinking her with bombs. No lives were lost, but a member of the crew, who had signed on as a Russian Finn, declared himself a German and was taken away in the submarine.

The Norwegian sailing vessel _Mabella_ was sunk by a U-boat on the 1st March, 1917, although the Norwegian colours and ship's name were hoisted directly the submarine was sighted. The vessel was sunk by gun-fire and two bombs. The Germans took the master's chronometer, sextant, new oilskin coat, and three bags of stores.

On the same date the Norwegian steamer _Gurre_ was torpedoed without warning, and sank in 30 seconds. Only three men were saved, and among the drowned were two British ladies from Christiania.

The Danish steamer _Rosborg_ was bound for Esbjerg from Baltimore with a cargo of 2,600 tons of maize for Eriksen and Christiensen. She was a neutral ship, flying neutral colours, but on the 3rd March, 1917, she was sunk by a German submarine.

The Norwegian sailing vessel _Silas_ was sunk by a German submarine at 11.30 a.m. on the 8th March. The crew were given half-an-hour to get the boats clear, and there were no casualties.

At noon on the 12th March the Norwegian steamer _Einar Jarl_ came under fire from a German submarine. A shell went through her coal-bunker and exploded, and while the boats were lowered the fire was continued. While the master was getting into the starboard boat a shell exploded, striking him in the shoulder, severely wounding two men, and putting 17 holes through his boat. About 20 shells were fired altogether, five of which hit the ship or boats. The crew were eventually picked up by a drifter.

The Norwegian sailing vessel _Collingwood_ was sunk on the same day, and in the opinion of her skipper the submarine commander and part of his crew were drunk. It is probable that they obtained champagne and cognac from the French ship _Jules Gommes_, which they had sunk about two hours before. At any rate, they refused to examine the _Collingwood's_ papers, although the skipper protested strongly, explaining that his ship was bound for Christiania. The vessel was sunk by bombs, and the crew were in their boats from 2.30 p.m. on the 12th March until 3 p.m. on the 15th March, when they were picked up and brought into Penzance.

On the 9th June, 1917, the Danish steamer _Dana_ was sunk by a U-boat. She was abandoned at 3.30 p.m., four men being lost.

The master of the Norwegian steamer _Helma_, of Bergen, took his vessel to sea on the 12th June, 1917, and proceeded without misadventure until the 24th June, when a submarine opened fire on him. Boats were lowered, and the master rowed alongside the submarine. The Germans boarded this boat, threw her sails and gear overboard, and then proceeded to the _Helma_, returning with the ship's provisions and papers. The _Helma_ was sunk by bombs, and the Norwegians were turned adrift with hardly any provisions and no sails or gear. They remained at sea for three days before reaching safety.