On the 2nd December, 1915, at 6.40 a.m., the s.s. _Commodore_ was shelled by a submarine while endeavouring to escape. At 7 a.m. the vessel was stopped, one man having been killed and another severely wounded. While the crew were taking to the boats five more men were wounded by shell fire, two of them severely. The submarine then came alongside the boats and questioned the master. The Germans refused to supply any lint for the wounded men, and told the boats to clear off. The survivors were adrift for 28 hours before being picked up.
On the 9th December, 1915, at 4.20 p.m., the s.s. _Orteric_ sighted a submarine and tried to escape. During the chase the fire of the submarine destroyed the starboard life-boat, killed two men, and badly wounded four others. The ship was then hit in the stern and would not steer, so the master signalled that he was stopping. The submarine, however, ignored his signal and continued firing. The crew got into three boats, in charge of the first and second officers and chief engineer, respectively. The master and two hands remained on board, having the gig ready. The three boats were about half a mile astern of the _Orteric_ when the submarine fired four shots at the chief engineer's boat. All four shots missed the boat, but only by a narrow margin. The survivors were picked up an hour and a half later.
At 1.35 p.m. on Christmas Day, 1915, the s.s. _Van Stirum_ was fired on by two submarines and overhauled about an hour afterwards. At 2.32 p.m. the vessel was stopped, most of the crew embarking in two life-boats. The master, chief officer, chief engineer, and Marconi operator then got into a boat on the port side, leaving the boatswain and a seaman to lower away and follow them into the boat. One of the submarines was on the port quarter 200 yards away, and as these two men were coming down the falls, a torpedo was fired, which passed under the boat and struck the ship's side. The explosion killed both men in the falls. The position was 20 miles from land, and the survivors were picked up an hour later by a trawler.
The sinking of these seven vessels was accompanied by unnecessary loss of life. In the case of the _Glenby_ there was no reason for the Germans to open fire before the crew had abandoned ship. Three men were wounded and two lost, simply because the Germans would not allow them time to enter their boats. No excuse can be advanced for the Germans. Again, with regard to the _Cymbeline_, lives were lost because she was torpedoed while her crew were taking to their boats. To destroy a life-boat and kill six men was an act of wanton murder. The destruction of the _Middleton_ provides a clearer example of German methods. When asked for bandages, the submarine held to her course and ignored the appeal. Three of the wounded men died, probably as a result of the Germans' refusal to aid them.
