SM U-30 (Germany)
SM "U-30" was one of 329 U-boat submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She engaged in commerce warfare as part of the First Battle of the Atlantic. "U-30" is significant for the torpedoing of the US tanker "Gulflight" on 1 May 1915 west of Scilly. Torpedoing of "Gulflight". The particular mission when "Gulflight " was attacked commenced 24 April 1915. On 28 April "U-30" intercepted the collier "Mobile" which she sank by gunfire after allowing the crew to escape. On 29 April she similarly sank the 3,220 GRT "Cherbury". 30 April she  ordered the steamer "Fulgent" to halt, but when the ship failed to do so fired a shot into the ship's bridge, which killed the captain and quartermaster. The ship stopped and the rest of the crew were allowed to escape before the ship was sunk by explosive charges placed inside. That afternoon, the 3,102 GRT "Svorno" was stopped and sunk. On 1 May the grain carrier "Edale" and French ship "Europe" were sunk. A Dutch ship was stopped and, as a neutral, permitted to continue at a point some north west of the Scilly Isles, but the submarine was  spotted at this point by a steam drifter, "Clara Alice" which reported her position to a naval patrol. The patrol ships and started to hunt for the submarine, but succeeded only in intercepting the US-flagged "Gulflight", which they took under escort. The escort proved something of a disadvantage to "Gulflight" because she was obliged to slow down for the patrol and then, under international law, as a ship escorted by armed vessels became a legitimate target for attack. "U-30" spotted the convoy and fired one torpedo at "Gulflight", before noticing that she was flying an American flag. The submarine  then broke off the attack in accordance with her instructions not to attack neutral vessels. "Gulflight" survived the attack, although two members of the crew drowned while evacuating the ship and the master "Captain" Gunter died later that night from a heart attack. The ship was towed to Crow Bay and later repaired. News of the event would be overshadowed a few days later by the sinking of but the incident, together with the attack on "Lusitania" and another ship, "Cushing", formed the basis of a formal complaint from the US government to Germany. Although the United States remained officially  neutral in the ongoing hostilities, it reached agreement with the German government that further attacks by submarine would be strictly in accordance with "cruiser Rules" as defined by international law.