Baralong incidents

Baralong incidents
Part of the Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I
Date 19 August and 24 September 1915 Location Irish Sea, Atlantic Ocean
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Godfrey Herbert A. Wilmot-Smith	Bernd Wegener † Klaus Hansen †
Strength
1 decoy vessel 2 steamers	2 submarines
Casualties and losses
2 steamers damaged	2 submarines sunk

The Baralong incidents were two incidents during the First World War in August and September 1915, involving the Royal Navy Q-ship HMS Baralong and two German U-boats. Baralong sank U-27, which had been attacking a nearby merchant ship, the Nicosian. About a dozen of the crewmen managed to escape from the sinking submarine and Lieutenant Godfrey Herbert, commanding officer of Baralong, ordered the survivors to be fired on. All the survivors of U-27's sinking, including several who had reached the Nicosian, were shot by Baralong's crew and attached marines.

Later, Baralong under command of Andrew Wilmot-Smith sank U-41 in an incident which has also been described as a British war crime.^[1][2]