![]() Then we had to see as best we could what was the course the steamer was continuing and we had to try with our reduced speed to get well enough in front of this ship so that we could approach it to the range of about, at most 600, at least 300 metres, in order to fire our torpedoes. We came to become aware of some vessels either by smoke or by the mast tops coming across and above the horizon. German naval officer Martin Niemöller described how U-boats stalked merchant ships. U-boats began to fire on ships without warning – including neutral and passenger vessels. However, from February 1915, the Germans changed their tactics. Initially, when U-boats met merchant ships, they surfaced before they attacked and allowed those on board time to escape. And in this moment these two boats made three cheers for the German submarine and that was, I can tell you, the nicest moment of my submarine war. Then I took the two boats of the crew to the shore and then I left them. In the morning the weather was better and the captain and two commissioned officers I had to make prisoner. Now it came very rough weather and we were too long from the coast and I took on board the crew of these ships – in all 30 sailors – and we had our own crew, also 30 men, so we were equal on board and that was very nice. The people of the British tugboat left the ship and we had to sink these two ships. Exchanged some fire shots and then it was finished. We were off Portugal, off Lisbon, and during the afternoon we met a very, very big tugboat of the British navy which had a barge and tug. He recalled an encounter with a British ship. ![]() Franz Becker commanded German submarines – known as U-boats – from 1915. Both the British and German navies made use of their submarines against enemy warships from the outset. Submarines played a significant military role for the first time during the First World War. ![]()
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