An Interesting Great War Q-Ship D.S.M. group of four to Petty Officer R. E. Hunt, Royal Navy, who was decorated for his conduct in the Q-ship Baralong at the time of her alleged war crimes against German submariners; he later survived the sinking of Q-15 and for his conduct on that occasion was mentioned in despatches

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (J.9250. R. E. Hunt, A.B. H.M.S. Baralong.); 1914-15 Star (J.9250, R. E. Hunt, D.S.M., A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. Oakleaf (J.9250 R. E. Hunt. L.S. R.N.) mounted as worn contact wear and polished, good fine or better (4) £1,800-£2,200

Spink, November 1998.

D.S.M. London Gazette 13 September 1915. ‘H.M.S. Baralong Sinking of German submarine U27 19 August 1915.’ One of three men recommended for the D.S.M. for this action.

M.I.D. London Gazette 18 September 1917. ‘For services in action with enemy submarines.’ ‘Their Lordships appreciation of this man’s conduct on the occasion of the loss of H.M.S. Salvia [Q-15] on 20/6/17. He will be mentioned in the London Gazette’ (record of service refers).

Robert Ernest Hunt was born in Hoxton Old Town, London, in November 1894 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in November 1912. Advanced to Able Seaman in late 1913, the outbreak of hostilities found him serving in the Battle Cruiser H.M.S. Indomitable, but shortly afterwards he joined the Antwerp, the ex-G.E.R. Passenger Steamer Vienna, only the second Q-Ship to be commissioned by the Admiralty. He subsequently participated in the first Q-Ship/U-Boat encounter of the War, when in March 1915, the Antwerp went to the rescue of three Merchantmen which had been sunk by the U-29. Although a bloodless encounter, it did persuade the Admiralty that smaller, less well-known ships were going to be required if German U-Boat Commanders were going to be tempted into action. Accordingly, the Antwerp was relegated to transport duties and her guns transferred to the newly acquired Tramp Steamer Baralong. With the guns went Able Seaman Hunt, who would shortly witness the destruction of the U-27 and the suspicious demise of half a dozen German Submariners in circumstances which would quickly attract allegations of war crimes.

The ‘Baralong incidents’

Baralong was taken up for service as a Q-ship on 2 August 1914, and in the Spring of 1915 was armed with 3 concealed 12-pdr guns and went out looking for enemy submarines in the busy shipping lanes where they were wreaking havoc. Baralong had gone as quickly as possible to the scene in the Irish Sea off the Old Head of Kinsale after the Cunard liner Lusitania had been torpedoed and sunk without warning by the German submarine U-20 on 7 May 1915, with the loss of 1,198 lives, but the submarine was well clear of the area when she arrived. This caused outrage in the U.K. and in the neutral world and when next in port, Baralong’s Captain was told verbally by the Admiralty that it “was most undesirable to take any enemy submarine prisoners”. This statement may well have led to the subsequent ‘Baralong incidents.’

On 19 August 1915, the German submarine U-24 torpedoed and sank the unarmed White Star liner Arabic with the loss of another 44 lives and while Baralong was again heading at full speed towards that position off the Old Head of Kinsale, she came across yet another German submarine, the U-27 under the command of Kapitänleutnant  Wegener, in the act of shelling the Leyland liner Nicosian which was on passage from the U.S.A. with a cargo of mules and carrying American muleteers. 

Baralong, flying the (neutral) American flag and with the American flag painted on shields on her sides, was manoeuvred into a favourable position about 2.5 miles away and when the submarine emerged from behind the liner to investigate this stranger, Baralong opened fire and sank the submarine in a couple of minutes with accurate gunfire. The German survivors jumped into the water and ten of them were shot dead whilst either swimming or else clinging to ropes hanging from the Nicosian. During a lull in the action, the Nicosian’s Master was taken on board Baralong and he reported that there were an unknown number of German survivors from the submarine aboard the liner.

Baralong then went alongside the liner and her embarked Royal Marines lead by Sergeant Collins leapt across, spread out and, on the orders of Baralong’s Captain, despatched the four enemy boarders that they encountered on the spot. The U-boat Commander, who had also survived the sinking of his boat, was also shot dead in the water whilst apparently holding his hands up in surrender. A total of thirty-seven men, including the U-Boat Commander lost their lives altogether.

When the liner subsequently reached Avonmouth, myriad stories abounded about what had happened, some of which were pure sensationalism, but nonetheless reached the American press and Germany demanded the arraignment of Baralong’s Captain and crew on charges of murder! This was naturally turned down, especially after Germany was asked to put one of her own destroyer Captain’s on trial at the same time for being responsible for the murder of the crew of a British submarine which had run aground in enemy waters and Germany refused to do so!

The Captain of the Baralong, Lieutenant Godfrey Herbert, Royal Navy, was awarded the D.S.O. for his actions in sinking the U-27. As a Q-ship, Baralong operated under the name Wyandra and later accounted for a further German submarine on 24 September 1915, this time it was the turn of U-41 which was despatched in the Western Approaches to the English Channel with the loss of thirty-five men, although there were two survivors. These two unfortunate men clambered aboard an abandoned boat after Wyandra left the scene, only to return three hours later and deliberately ran the boat down.

After this, German fury knew no bounds. For her own safety, and the safety of her Captain and crew, Baralong was transferred to the Mediterranean and was subsequently paid off from naval service on 22 October 1916. In order to protect her identity, the Admiralty came up with an elaborate deception scheme and it was decided to delete all references to Baralong - this even included the entry in Lloyd’s Register. This was done and the ship herself was renamed Manica and even assumed her sister’s Official Number of 112782 to complete the disguise. Now if this original Baralong were to fall into enemy hands her Captain and crew would not be arraigned as murderers. Nicosian also had her name changed to Nevisian for the same reason, although the references to her as Nicosian were not deleted from the Registers.

This now posed a problem for the Admiralty as the original R.F.A. Manica was released from Naval service in 1917 and obviously could not return home as Manica as well. The Admiralty therefore conveniently purchased her; cylindrical tanks were built into her holds and she arrived at Hong Kong as the oiler Huntball, under the management of Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd. Her Managers purchased her in 1920 and renamed her Phorus in 1922, and she served them as an oil tanker until 12 August 1930, when she arrived at Singapore to be laid up. She was sold for scrap the following year and proceeded to Miri to load a final cargo of oil, departing there for Osaka, where she arrived on 3 July 1931. After discharging her final cargo, she was broken up.
The ‘other’ Manica (ex-Baralong) was sold by her original owners in 1922 to Japanese owners who renamed her Kyokuto Maru. She was sold to further Japanese owners in 1925 and renamed Shinsei Maru No 1 before finally reaching the breakers’ yard in 1933. Thus ended the saga of an alleged War Crime which was never prosecuted.

Sold with copied record of service and official Police report of the incident.