There were about 18 men struggling in the water, and while the U-boat commander watched, he saw them dragged down one after another. A shoal of sharks had attacked them, and every man except the cook suffered this terrible death. Meanwhile the German had submerged, leaving them to their fate.
The cook, who escaped, remained in the water for 15 hours, being picked up by a British merchantman at about 6.30 p.m. that day.
The master of the Swedish steamer Vanland reports that he was attacked by a German submarine at 6.45 p.m. on the 23rd July, 1917. He was 4 miles from the shore at that time, and at once made for land on a zig-zag course. The U-boat chased him, firing continually. Seven shells hit the hull of his vessel, and 20 hit the deck cargo aft, while the port life-boat was carried away and the davits of the starboard life-boat were broken.
Directly the steamer took the ground her master and crew embarked in the starboard life-boat; but when 100 yards from their ship, the Germans opened fire on them with a machine-gun and wounded the second mate. The submarine then torpedoed the Vanland and submerged. Altogether 46 shells were fired by the Germans, in addition to the machine-gun fire directed against the life-boat.
At about 7.50 p.m. on Thursday, 31st July, 1917, the steamer Belgian Prince was travelling at 10 knots an hour, when the wake of a torpedo was seen upon the port beam. Her helm was at once put hard over, but she was struck between the after part of the engine-room and No. 5 hold. Her main engines and also her dynamo were disabled, so that the wireless became useless and no S.O.S. signal could be sent out. The ship took a very heavy list to port, and the crew proceeded to get into their life-boats. Two of these and one small boat were launched, and all hands were safely embarked in them.
When the boats were clear of the ship a German submarine came to the surface, and, approaching the boats, ordered them alongside. All the officers and crew were transferred to the submarine, the master being taken below. The Germans were very abusive, and, after searching their prisoners, ordered them to take off their life-belts. These were placed on the deck of the submarine, and one of the German officers proceeded to throw most of them into the sea.
Five German sailors now entered the small boat and rowed her back to the Belgian Prince. Other Germans entered the two life-boats, threw the oars, balers, and gratings overboard; took out the provisions and compasses, and then smashed the boats with an axe.
The Germans who had boarded the Belgian Prince now signalled to their comrades with a flash lamp; the submarine cast off the broken life-boats and steered away to the eastward. It was about 9 p.m., and the crew of the Belgian Prince were still standing on the deck of the submarine, most of them without their life-belts. The submarine stopped. Slowly she began to sink. Then, quite suddenly, she submerged.
W. Snell, second cook of the Belgian Prince, was standing with his shipmates, but he was more fortunate than most of them, because he had managed to pick up his life-belt and put it on under his rain-coat without being observed by the Germans. When he felt the water rising over his feet as the submarine went down, he jumped into the sea; and he says that his companions did the same. Snell remained in the water all night, and was picked up at about 7.30 a.m. next day in a very exhausted condition.