At 12.30 p.m. on the 10th February, 1917, the master of the British trawler Ireland was towing his trawl at a speed of 2½ miles an hour when he sighted a German submarine 2½ miles away on the port side. The submarine fired a shot which dropped 2 yards clear of the trawler’s stern. Her boat was at once got out, two more shots being fired, one of which dropped just astern, while the other passed over the funnel. The crew embarked in their boat without casualties, and the Germans then looted the trawler, taking away the ship’s papers, sextant, binoculars, fisherman’s almanack, and a basket of provisions. They sank the trawler at about 1 p.m. The crew were picked up by a patrol-boat at 6 a.m. on the 14th February, and landed at Scarborough at 8 o’clock that night, when two of them were sent to hospital suffering from frost-bite.
The British steamer Margarita was sunk by a U-boat in the evening of the 14th February, 1917, after being looted by the Germans. They took the clocks from the engine-room and cabin, the barometer, some condensed milk, and some soap. The crew were picked up at 3.15 a.m. next day and landed at Milford Haven.
The British sailing vessel Invercauld was sunk on the 22nd February by a German submarine, which opened fire on her without warning. After firing a torpedo, which struck the ship on the port beam, blowing away 150 feet of her side, the Germans boarded her and searched for food. However, the water was too high for this, so the commander contented himself by taking the chronometer, binoculars, clocks, bell, ensign, and other portable articles, for which he gave the master a receipt. The master and his crew of 23 hands escaped without casualty.
On the 17th March, 1917, two German submarines attacked and sank four Portuguese fishing vessels, the Rita Segunda, Flor de Abril, Senora del Rosario, and Restaurador. One man of the Restaurador was killed and three others injured, although the crews left their vessels after the first shot. On the 19th March the following official statement was issued in Lisbon:
“While four trawlers were fishing off the coast of Algarvo, the most southerly province of Portugal, two German submarines made their appearance, one from the north and the other from the south. They immediately opened fire upon the fishing vessels. The crews were ordered to leave their ships, which were then looted by the Germans of the fish and clothing they had on board. The trawlers were then sunk. One of the fishermen was killed and three were seriously wounded. The remainder of the crews, to the number of about 100, have been safely landed at Lisbon by patrol-boats of the Portuguese Naval Division.”
On the 3rd May, 1917, nine or ten Irish fishing vessels were looted and destroyed by German submarines at about 8 p.m. The skipper of one of these vessels, the Lucky Lass, has described how the Germans took his new foresail, fishing lines, clothes, oilskins, and his son’s watch. They then smashed up the Lucky Lass with a large hatchet and a big stone hammer. They were in a great hurry, and ordered the skipper and his son to keep a sharp look-out for British patrol-boats during their looting operations. Another boat, the Sir Edward Birbeck, was sunk by bombs.
The British sailing ship Alfred was sunk on the 12th June. The Germans looted the vessel, carrying off the stores and all her brass-work. The crew were taken on board the submarine and then witnessed the sinking of another vessel. They saw dead bodies and struggling men in the water, while the officers and crew of the submarine sneered and laughed at them.
The Swedish steamer Snetoppen was bound for New York on the 4th July, 1917, when a submarine came to the surface on her starboard bow and commenced to shell her. After half-a-dozen shots had been fired the master decided that his position was hopeless, and gave orders to abandon ship in two boats.
The Germans then proceeded to loot the steamer, taking the ship’s chronometer and barometer, two sextants, and three boat-loads of provisions. The German sailors ransacked the state-rooms, while their officers demanded whiskey, beer, and cognac, besides taking all the clothes they could lay hands on. They sank the steamer with bombs, and left the survivors in their boats. These were afterwards picked up by an American destroyer.
With regard to these cases, it would probably be contended by the Germans that the sufferings of the Dauntless’ survivors were unavoidable. But what about the shelling of the vessel? This was wholly unnecessary, and resulted in the death of one man. The Germans could have committed their thefts of provisions, turpentine and enamel without first shelling the ship. To the lesser crime of theft they need not have added the greater crime of murder.