German hospital ship Ophelia The Ophelia was a steamship originally built by a German shipping company , but requisitioned for use as a hospital ship by the Imperial German Navy during the First World War . After being viewed acting suspiciously , the " Ophelia " was boarded on 17 October 1914 and seized by the Royal Navy for violating Hague Convention X of 1907 concerning hospital ships . Seizure . On 17 October 1914 a number of German torpedo boats were destroyed during the Battle off Texel by the British cruiser , HMS " Undaunted " , while laying mines off Haak lightship . German command sent out a hospital ship to supposedly search for survivors . Suspicions were aroused when British intelligence learned that " Ophelia " was using a wireless radio set , at that time unusual for a hospital ship , to communicate with the German wireless base at Norddeich station . In addition to using wireless radio she was using coded wireless transmissions ; secret codes or their use are forbidden on hospital ships . While in the area , British submarine , HMS " D8 " , shadowed the German ship . When the " Ophelia " noticed the sub she began to flee the area , further raising suspicions as her supposed task of searching for German survivors was not completed . Under Article 4 of Hague Convention X , hospital ships cannot be seized but they can be inspected by enemy craft . The HMS " Meteor " was sent to investigate the ship . As it approached for boarding and inspection it was observed that her commander , Dr . Pfeiffer , threw overboard a number of documents and secret codes . Reasons for seizure . The British Admiralty seized the " Ophelia " as a prize of war , rather than as a hospital ship . Their reasons for doubting her status as a hospital ship were the dumping of documents by the crew , the transmission of a coded message before the boarding , and the destruction of the ships wireless set . Furthermore , the ship was not included in the list of hospital ships that were exchanged at the start of the war . An enormous number of Verey lights were discovered on board . Fired from special pistols , Verey lights can be used as signal devices . The " Ophelia " had 600 green , 480 red and 140 white lights , and all records of how many she had before the seizure were destroyed before boarding . For comparison , a British hospital ship would stock about 12 lights of each colour . German response . Germany later used the seizure of the Ophelia to try and justify its attacks on hospital ships : On 17 October , 1914 . . . we sent out the hospital ship " Ophelia " to pick up any survivors . However , the English captured her and made her prize , charging us with having sent her for scouting purposes , although she was obviously fitted up as a hospital ship and bore all the requisite markings . . . We also considered ourselves released from our obligations and with far more justification took action against hospital ships which , under cover of the Red Cross flag , were patently used for the transport of troops . — German Admiral Scheer Aftermath . The British renamed the ship SS " Huntley " and used it for transporting fuel from Portishead to Boulogne . On 21 December 1915 she was torpedoed and sunk by German U - boat " UB - 10 " off the Boulogne LV .