Submarine sinks three merchant ships in the Irish Sea

German commander expresses regret but says 'War is war'

Belfast, 1 February 1915 - Three British trading ships have been sunk in the Irish Sea by a German submarine.

The submarine U21 sunk the Ben Cruachan, the Linda Blanche and Kilcoan along the Mersey-Belfast route. The sinkings are part of the concerted German attempts to cripple British trade.

Left: The locations of each of the three attacks in the Irish Sea. Right: The Ben Cruachan. Commander of the German submarine U21 expressed regret at having to sink the ship, but stated 'War is war!'. (Images: Illustrated London News [London, England], 6 Feb 1915)

The U21 is the submarine which sank the British light cruiser Pathfinder early in September which resulted in the loss of 259 lives.

It is a vessel of some 800 tons, with 4 torpedo tubes and includes anti-aircraft weapons as well as traditional guns.

The Ben Cruachan

The sinking of the merchant vessel Ben Cruachan was a particularly curious affair. Quartermaster Inglis, one of crew members, reported that the German submarine appeared beside the steamer as they headed for Larne. The crew of 23 were put into boats which were then ordered alongside the submarine.

The commander of the submarine requested that the captain of the Ben Cruachan hand over the ship’s papers and logs. He continued: 'Our skipper told him the papers had been left aboard the vessel and the skipper was ordered to accompany a German officer and two sailors and secure the papers'.

Confidential RIC document for Donegal, February 1915: 'The Police are paying particular attention to the Coastline for enemy submarines, mines, aircraft etc and are receiving some assistance from the natives...  So far nothing has been discovered to show that any aircraft has found a landing place in this County.' Click for full document. (Image: National Archives UK, CO 904/96)

Once the papers had been handed over, the Germans placed a mine aboard the vessel. There was then a violent explosion and the ship sank stern first, with the bow up in the air.

The submarine’s commander expressed regret for his actions but said: ‘War is war!’ He expressed a hope that the crew of the Ben Cruachan would be picked up quickly and that the weather would not worsen too greatly. The captain and the commander shook hands and saluted each other.

The U21 then submerged and disappeared. It has since been seen at various locations around the Irish Sea, and - amongst other things - has unsuccessfully chased the mail steamer Leinster. Several shipping companies have now suspended sailings across the Irish Sea.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]