    the baralong incidents were naval engagements of the first world war in august and september 1915, involving the royal navy q-ship , later renamed hms wyandra, and two german u-boats. baralong sank , which had been preparing to sink a nearby merchant ship, the nicosian. about a dozen of the crewmen managed to escape the sinking submarine, and lieutenant godfrey herbert, commanding officer of baralong, ordered the surviving sailors to be summarily executed after they boarded the nicosian. all the survivors of u-27s sinking, including several who had reached the nicosian, were shot by baralongs crew. later, baralong sank  in an incident which has also been described as a war crime.coles (1986) p. bridgland (1999) pp. 20-55 ==first incident== ===action of 19 august 1915=== after the sinking of  by a german submarine in may 1915, lieutenant-commander godfrey herbert, commanding officer of baralong, was visited by two officers of the admiralty's secret service branch at the naval base at queenstown, ireland. he was told, "this lusitania business is shocking. unofficially, we are telling you... take no prisoners from u-boats."bridgland (1999) p. 21 interviews with his subordinate officers have established herbert's undisciplined manner of commanding his ship. herbert allowed his men to engage in drunken binges during shore leave. during one such incident, at dartmouth, several members of baralongs crew were arrested after destroying a local saloon. herbert paid their bail, then left port with the indicted crewmen aboard. beginning in april 1915, herbert ordered his subordinates cease c
1915_crimes Atlantic_operations_of_World_War_I Conflicts_in_1915 Deaths_by_firearm_in_international_waters Extrajudicial_killings Massacres_committed_by_the_United_Kingdom U-boats_involved_in_international_incidents World_War_I_massacres