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HMS Prize
HMS Prize
HMS Prize
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A painting depicting Prize shelling U-93
History
Imperial Germany
NameElse
BuilderE.V. Smit & Zoon
Launched1901
FateCaptured by Royal Navy, 4 August 1914
United Kingdom
NameHMS Prize
NamesakePrize
Commissioned25 April 1917
RefitFebruary–March 1917 (conversion to Q ship)
FateSunk, 13 August 1917
General characteristics
TypeQ ship
Displacement277 long tons (281 t)
Length122 ft 6 in (37.3 m)
Beam24 ft 0 in (7.3 m)
Draught10 ft 5 in (3.2 m)
Propulsion
Complement27
Armament

HMS Prize was a schooner converted to a Q ship during the First World War and commanded by Lieutenant William Sanders of the Royal Naval Reserve.

Originally a German vessel called Else, she was captured by the Royal Navy in the first days of the First World War. In April 1917 she was commissioned into the Royal Navy as a Q ship with the name HMS First Prize, later to be shortened to HMS Prize. During her first patrol, Prize was involved in an engagement with a U-boat, U-93 for which Sanders received the Victoria Cross while the rest of the crew were also awarded various medals. Prize was destroyed by a torpedo on 13 August 1917, with all crew lost.

History

[edit]

A steel-hulled three-masted schooner, Else was built in Groningen, the Netherlands, by the firm E. V. Smit & Zoon in 1901 for a German ship owner. Displacing 277 tons, she had an overall length of 122 feet 6 inches (37.3 m) with a beam of 24 feet (7.3 m). Her draught was 10 feet 5 inches (3.2 m).[1] Her home port was Leer, near Emden.[2] On 4 August 1914, the day on which the United Kingdom declared war on Imperial Germany and entered the First World War, she was transiting the English Channel carrying a cargo of hides. Intercepted by HMS Diana, a small cruiser of the Royal Navy, Else's crew was taken prisoner and the ship sailed into Falmouth with a prize crew.[1]

Else was sold a month later;[3] her new owner was the Marine and Navigation Company, owned by William Garthwaite. She was renamed First Prize, on account of being the first ship captured by the Royal Navy during the war.[1] Garthwaite's intention was to use her on the coastal trading routes.[3]

Later on in the war, the Admiralty was looking for vessels suitable for fitting out as Q ships.[3] These were merchant ships crewed by Royal Navy personnel and bearing hidden weaponry. When attacked by U-boats, a portion of the ship's crew (referred to as a panic party) would appear to evacuate the vessel, sometimes setting smoke fires to simulate damage. This would encourage its attacker to approach and when the U-boat was close enough, the Q ship's guns would become operational and open fire, hopefully destroying the submarine.[4]

In November 1916, First Prize, berthed at Swansea, was identified as being a vessel suitable for Q ship service. She was accordingly requisitioned by the Royal Navy. Within weeks, Garthwaite had gifted the ship to the Royal Navy for service in the war.[3] He also offered to fit her out for war service in return for an honorary commission in the Royal Navy, but this was declined.[5]

Service as a Q ship

[edit]
The commander of Prize, William Sanders

First Prize underwent a refit at Ponsharden, near Falmouth. This included the fitting of two 12-pounder guns, at the bow and stern respectively. The gun at the bow was screened within a collapsible deckhouse while that at the stern was mounted such that it could be raised from the hold. Two Lewis guns and a machinegun were also fitted. The vessel's mode of propulsion was added to, with twin 50-horsepower (37 kW) diesel motors, manufactured by Kelvin Diesels, being fitted and for communications, a radio transmitter and receiver, not typical for sailing vessels of the time, was installed.[6]

First Prize was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy on 25 April 1917, with a crew of 27, including its commander, Lieutenant William Sanders, a New Zealander serving in the Royal Naval Reserve. She departed for her first patrol the next day.[7] In the evening of 30 April, near the Scillies in the Atlantic, First Prize was attacked by a U-boat, U-93 commanded by Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim. The Q ship was badly damaged by shellfire from the U-boat's deck guns. Sanders, having dispatched a panic party in a small boat thus giving the impression of a ship being abandoned, remained under cover with his men. Despite several of them being wounded, the crew remained hidden.[8]

After 20 minutes of shelling, First Prize appeared to be sinking. The U-boat approached her port quarter, whereupon Sanders ordered the White Ensign hoisted and First Prize opened fire.[9] Within a few minutes the submarine had received severe damage to her conning tower, with several crew members blown into the water.[10] After moving away, the U-boat disappeared from sight in mist, and was believed by the crew of First Prize to have been sunk. The panic party, still in its boat, collected three survivors, including her captain, and brought them back to First Prize. The damage to the ship was serious, and the German prisoners assisted in repairs as it made for the Irish coast and received a tow as it approached Kinsale. Despite its damage, U-93 managed to struggle back to Sylt nine days later.[11]

In the meantime, the damaged First Prize returned to her port of Milford Haven. The Admiralty had renamed her, and she was to now be known as HMS Prize.[12] After Prize was repaired, she returned to sea in late May, conducting a second patrol off the northwest coast of Ireland for three weeks. On 12 June, she encountered UC-35 on the surface. The U-boat shelled Prize 30 times as it approached but once a wounded Sanders gave the order to return fire, it turned away. Prize only fired a few shots before the U-boat quickly submerged and got away.[13]

Prize undertook another patrol in late June and early July. On 22 June, while at sea, various awards to the crew who fought in the action on 30 April was announced; Sanders was to receive the Victoria Cross while his lieutenant received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), two other officers the Distinguished Service Cross, and the rest of the crew the Distinguished Service Medal.[14]

Prize embarked on her final patrol in early August 1917.[15] Sailing into the Atlantic under a Swedish flag, the ship was accompanied by a British submarine, HMS D6. It was intended that D6 would submerge and observe Prize throughout the day. When an enemy ship was sighted, the crew of Prize would place discreet signals in the rigging to indicate the ship's position to the watching D6. The submarine would then attempt to move into a position where it could torpedo the approaching enemy.[16] On 13 August 1917, a lookout spotted UB-48. Sanders opted to use the guns of Prize to shell the U-boat; UB-48 was undamaged and it submerged to evade the attack. Prize and D6 remained on station. Later that evening, UB-48, having worked its way into a suitable position, fired two torpedoes at Prize, one of which struck and destroyed the sailing ship. D6, still submerged, heard the explosion and at dawn it surfaced to investigate but found no trace of Prize or her crew.[17]

Notes

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References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

HMS Prize

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from Grokipedia
HMS Prize was a British , or disguised armed merchant vessel, that served in the Royal Navy during the First World War as a to lure and destroy German U-boats. Originally the German three-masted Else, built in 1901 and displacing about 200 tons, she was captured on 4 August 1914 in the , becoming the first prize taken by the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the war, which earned her the initial name HMS First Prize. After her capture, First Prize was auctioned by the Admiralty and purchased by the Marine Navigation Company, operating as a merchant vessel until November 1916, when she was reacquired by the Navy, converted into Q-ship Q.21 at Falmouth, and renamed HMS Prize. Armed with three hidden 12-pounder guns and manned by a crew that simulated panic to deceive submarines, she was commissioned under the command of Acting Lieutenant William Sanders, a Royal Naval Reserve officer from New Zealand, in February 1917 and assigned to patrol duties off the southwestern coast of Ireland. Prize's most notable action occurred on 30 April 1917, approximately 120 miles southwest of Fastnet Rock, when she was shelled for nearly 30 minutes by the ; Sanders orchestrated the crew to feign abandonment before revealing the hidden armament, engaging the at close range with 36 shells that destroyed its and forward gun, severely damaging it and forcing it to submerge, while rescuing three wounded from the water, including the U-boat's commander, Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim. For his leadership in this engagement, Sanders was awarded the , the only such naval honor bestowed upon a New Zealander during the war, while his second-in-command, Lieutenant John F. Beaton, received the and several crew members earned the Distinguished Service Medal; the ship, heavily damaged, limped to , , on 2 May 1917. She saw further service, including a damaging encounter with another submarine on 12 June 1917 that injured Sanders, but her career ended tragically on 14 August 1917 when she was torpedoed without warning by UB-48 in the North Atlantic off the , resulting in the loss of all 26 crew members, including Sanders, who was posthumously promoted to .

Origins

Construction as Else

The schooner Else was constructed in 1901 at the Westerbroek shipyard of E. V. Smit & Zoon, located near in the , as a steel-hulled three-masted topsail schooner intended for commercial merchant service. She was built for German owners and registered at the port of Leer in , , reflecting the region's prominence in maritime trade during the early . Designed primarily for the transport of bulk cargoes, Else typically carried goods such as hides on her voyages, exemplifying the versatile role of such auxiliary vessels in international commerce before the widespread adoption of full steam propulsion. Else measured 122 feet 6 inches (37.3 m) in overall and displaced 277 long tons (281 t), providing a stable platform for her intended trade routes while maintaining the maneuverability of a schooner. Her beam was 24 feet (7.3 m), and she drew 10 feet 5 inches (3.2 m) of water, dimensions that allowed her to navigate both coastal waters and deeper oceanic passages effectively. These specifications underscored her gross registered of approximately 199 tons, balancing capacity with . Prior to the outbreak of , Else operated under the German flag, primarily plying trade routes in the and , where she supported regional commerce by transporting commodities essential to Germany's industrial and export economy. Her service in these waters continued uninterrupted until August 1914, when the vessel's peacetime routine was abruptly ended by the conflict's onset, marking the close of her civilian career.

Capture and renaming

The German three-masted Else was captured by the Royal cruiser HMS Diana in the on 4 August 1914, marking her as the first enemy vessel seized by British forces in . Upon capture, the vessel was immediately integrated into British naval service and renamed HMS First Prize to honor her distinction as the conflict's inaugural prize. The Admiralty subsequently auctioned the ship, and she was acquired by the Marine Navigation Company. In late 1916, the company offered her back to the Royal Navy, facilitating her later adaptation for wartime duties.

Conversion to Q-ship

Refit and modifications

Following its requisition by the Royal Navy on 6 November 1916 while berthed at as the First Prize, the three-masted topsail underwent conversion into a at Ponsharden near Falmouth. The refit, conducted between February and March 1917, focused on disguising the vessel to resemble a harmless steamer while incorporating features suited to its new role as a decoy . A radio transmitter and receiver was also installed for communications. Key structural modifications included the installation of collapsible deckhouses that could be rapidly dismantled to reveal concealed weaponry, maintaining the outward appearance of an unassuming merchant auxiliary. Twin 50 hp diesel motors were also added to provide auxiliary propulsion for , allowing the schooner to maneuver stealthily without relying solely on sails. These alterations transformed the 200-ton vessel into an effective "mystery ship" capable of luring German U-boats into close range by feigning vulnerability as a defenseless trader before unveiling its true capabilities. The refit was completed by April 1917, at which point the ship was redesignated Q.21 and commissioned for service under the command of Acting Lieutenant , RNR. This conversion exemplified the broader Admiralty strategy of employing disguised auxiliaries to counter in the Atlantic approaches.

Armament and crew

During its conversion to a , HMS Prize was equipped with a primary armament of two 12-pounder naval guns, positioned one forward and one aft, concealed behind breakaway panels to maintain the appearance of a harmless . These guns were designed for rapid deployment in ambush tactics, allowing the vessel to surprise surfaced at close range. Secondary weaponry included two Lewis machine guns and one for anti-personnel defense. The crew consisted of 27 officers and ratings, primarily volunteers from the Royal Naval Reserve, selected for their skills and ability to execute deception maneuvers. This complement included four officers—comprising one RNR, one RNVR, and two Skippers RNR—and 23 ratings, such as petty officers, able seamen, and ordinary seamen, organized to support both sailing operations and combat readiness. A key element was the "panic party," a group of crew members trained to simulate disorderly abandonment, including some with acting experience to convincingly portray panic and draw enemy submarines within gun range. From February 1917, the vessel was commanded by Lieutenant William Sanders RNR, who oversaw a command structure emphasizing disciplined secrecy and rapid response. The entire crew underwent specialized training in deception protocols, ensuring that guns remained unmanned and hidden until the feigned surrender was complete, at which point the was hoisted and fire opened, complementing the primary reliance on gunnery to destroy surfaced U-boats.

Operational history

Commissioning and first patrol

HMS Prize was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy on 25 April 1917 under the command of Lieutenant , R.N.R., with a complement of 27 officers and ratings. The converted three-masted , previously the German vessel , was assigned to duties from its operational base at in , from where it conducted s in the . As an element of the Royal Navy's program, initiated to combat Germany's policy that began on 1 February 1917, Prize exemplified the use of disguised auxiliary vessels to lure U-boats into vulnerable positions. The ship's modest dimensions—displacing 277 long tons (281 t), she had an overall length of 122 feet 6 inches (37.3 m)—facilitated its role as a seemingly innocuous merchantman, minimizing the risk of early detection by enemy while enabling effective scouting in contested waters. Prior to deployment, Sanders oversaw rigorous preparations, including the loading of 170 tons of copper slag ballast for stability and the final calibration of its concealed armament. The crew, drawn from the Royal Naval Reserve and Volunteer Reserve, conducted extensive drills in the "panic party" abandonment ruse, simulating a hasty evacuation to expose hidden guns at the opportune moment; Sanders stressed the importance of iron discipline to maintain the deception under pressure. Prize's first patrol began on 26 April 1917, departing under sail for the U-boat-infested waters south of . Over the ensuing days, the ship engaged in routine , navigating the busy shipping lanes off Ireland's southwest coast without incident, while the crew practiced their roles to ensure seamless execution of tactics amid calm seas and clear visibility.

Action against U-93

On 30 April 1917, approximately 180 miles southwest of in the Eastern Atlantic, HMS Prize encountered the German submarine SM U-93 while on her first patrol as a . The U-boat, under the command of Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim, surfaced and opened fire on the disguised schooner at a range of three miles, using her deck gun to shell the apparently unarmed vessel. Over the next 20 minutes, U-93 closed to within 80 yards, scoring multiple hits that wrecked Prize's radio room, disabled one of her two engines, started fires, and caused severe structural damage. Several crew members aboard Prize were wounded during the bombardment, including Commander William Sanders; at least two later died of their injuries, with reports indicating up to six casualties in total from the action, including the executive officer among the seriously hurt. As U-93 approached to administer the , the crew of Prize employed the standard : a "panic party" of volunteers rowed away in a lifeboat to simulate a hasty abandonment, while the remaining crew concealed themselves below decks or behind drop screens covering the hidden armament. Believing the schooner defenseless, U-93 ceased firing temporarily and maneuvered closer. At a range of around 600 yards, Sanders gave the order to raise the and drop the screens, revealing Prize's three 12-pounder guns. The immediately opened fire, landing direct hits on U-93's forward gun platform and within the first salvos; machine-gun fire from Lewis guns also swept the submarine's exposed deck, killing or wounding several Germans. The intense exchange continued for several minutes, with Prize firing 36 shells in total from her main battery. U-93 sustained heavy damage, including destruction of her deck armament, breaches in the hull and , and compromised fuel and diving tanks, causing her to lose propulsion and list severely. She appeared to sink by the stern amid thick smoke and internal fires just four minutes after Prize unveiled her guns, leading the British crew to initially believe the U-boat destroyed. Prize recovered three survivors from the water—the submarine's commander, her navigation officer, and —before turning to her own survival. However, U-93 had not been sunk; her , zur See Wilhelm Ziegner, took command and managed to resurface the vessel, patch critical damage, and limp back to , , arriving nine days later after a harrowing surface transit. The submarine underwent extensive repairs and resumed operations, sinking 34 before her loss to an internal explosion off Hardelot, , on 17 January 1918, with all 43 hands lost. Meanwhile, the battered Prize, settling low in the water with her second engine failing en route, had her shell holes plugged by the crew using mattresses and timber; she steamed 120 miles under her own power to reach , , on 2 May, where a motor launch towed her the final leg to for refit. No lives were lost aboard U-93 in the engagement beyond those killed or wounded , with the rescued men confirming the submarine's escape . The engagement represented the first confirmed success for a in combat against a , validating the effectiveness of the tactic in luring surfaced submarines into devastating close-range gun duels. Although the "sinking" of U-93 proved illusory, the action inflicted significant material losses on the enemy, forced the submarine out of service temporarily, and captured valuable intelligence from the prisoners, while Prize's survival underscored the resilience of these improvised warships in asymmetric . This battle set a precedent for subsequent operations, enhancing Allied morale amid the intensifying .

Final patrols and sinking

Following the engagement with U-93, HMS Prize underwent repairs, completed by late May. She embarked on her second patrol in early June 1917. On 12 June, approximately 150 miles west of the Scilly Isles, the crew sighted the German minelaying UC-75 on the surface. The closed to within 3,000 yards and opened fire with its , scoring several hits that caused minor damage and wounded Commander William Sanders in the forearm. Prize returned fire at long range once the submarine was within effective distance, but the rough sea conditions and the U-boat's swift maneuvers prevented a decisive engagement; UC-75 submerged undamaged and escaped, having gathered intelligence on the Q-ship's appearance and tactics. Repairs were completed swiftly despite Sanders' injury, and Prize departed in early July 1917 for her third and final patrol, operating in the off Ireland's southwest coast. On 13 August, while sailing in tandem with the British HMS D6 to lure U-boats into gun range, a lookout spotted SM UB-48 on the surface at around 1630 hours, approximately 120 miles west-northwest of the Fastnet Rock. Sanders ordered Prize to close and engage with her hidden armament; the Q-ship's fire struck the U-boat's and signal mast, forcing UB-48 to dive without returning effective fire. The evaded further pursuit and shadowed Prize undetected through the night. At dawn on 14 August 1917, UB-48 launched a surprise attack from depth without warning, firing two torpedoes from about 1,000 yards. One struck Prize amidships on the starboard side, detonating in the engine room and causing a catastrophic explosion that ripped open the hull. The ship listed heavily and sank within minutes in position 51°50'N, 12°30'W, with no opportunity for the to launch lifeboats. All 27 hands were lost, including Sanders—who had briefly transferred tactical command to a subordinate due to his prior wound but remained aboard as overall commander—and most of a newly assigned complement from the Royal Naval Reserve. HMS D6, maintaining a discreet distance, heard the but found no trace of survivors, wreckage, or debris upon investigation; distress signals went unanswered amid the vast area. The wreck's precise remains unknown, as post-war surveys yielded no results, underscoring the perilous attrition of Q-ships—over 50 percent lost to such unanticipated strikes once German commanders adapted to their tactics.

Legacy

Awards and honors

William Edward Sanders was awarded the for his conspicuous gallantry, coolness, and skill in commanding HMS Prize during the engagement with the German submarine U-93 on 30 April 1917. This decoration holds unique historical significance as the only bestowed upon a New Zealander for a naval action in the First World War. The executive officer, William Donald Beaton, received the for his contributions to the same action. Beaton received the DSO, and the rest of the ship's company were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, acknowledging their collective bravery in the Q-ship's deceptive tactics against the U-boat. Sanders himself was additionally awarded the posthumously for leadership in a follow-up action against UC-75 on 12 June 1917, still aboard Prize, further highlighting his command experience on the vessel. No honors were granted for subsequent patrols, as Prize and most of her crew, including Sanders, were lost to torpedo attack by UB-48 on 14 August 1917. These awards collectively underscored the vital morale-boosting impact of Q-ship operations like those of Prize amid the intensifying German , demonstrating effective countermeasures that inspired Allied naval forces.

Commemoration

The crew members of HMS Prize who perished during the ship's service, particularly those lost in its final action on 14 August 1917, are commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in Plymouth, , which honors personnel with no known grave but the sea. This memorial, erected by the Imperial War Graves Commission (now ), includes names from vessels like Prize among the over 7,200 First World War casualties listed on its panels. Lieutenant Commander , the ship's commander and a recipient, is separately honored with a plaque in Town Hall, , recognizing his leadership and sacrifice as the nation's only naval VC winner. His medals and personal effects are also preserved at the , further embedding his legacy in New Zealand's maritime heritage. HMS Prize exemplifies the innovative use of Q-ships in , and its history is prominently featured in naval accounts and museum exhibits, such as those at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, which highlight Sanders' command and the vessel's role in luring U-boats into combat. As the first enemy vessel captured at the outset of the war and repurposed as a disguised , Prize has inspired detailed narratives in literature, underscoring the psychological and tactical boldness of such operations. In modern naval studies, Prize serves as a in First World War tactics, demonstrating the high risks of deception-based warfare where disguised merchantmen concealed heavy armament to counter submarine threats, influencing analyses of asymmetric naval engagements.

References

  1. https://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishQships.htm
  2. https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/q-21-hms-prize-and-william-sanders-vc/
  3. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/william-sanders-wins-vc
  4. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54338/54338-h/54338-h.htm
  5. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1914/september/european-war-notes
  6. https://navymuseum.co.nz/explore/by-collections/ships/prize/
  7. https://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/4932.html
  8. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-460852
  9. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54338/54338-h/54338-h.htm#Page_144
  10. https://navymuseum.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/white-ensign-issue-2.pdf
  11. https://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritish-RNShipCrews.htm
  12. https://www.navygeneralboard.com/the-q-ship-hero-william-sanders/
  13. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/54338/pg54338-images.html
  14. https://www.keymilitary.com/article/price-valour
  15. https://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1917-08Aug.htm
  16. https://uboat.net/wwi/boats/?boat=93
  17. https://uboat.net/wwi/boats/?boat=UC+75
  18. https://rnzncomms.org/lieutenant-commander-william-edward-sanders-vc-dso-rnr/
  19. https://uboat.net/wwi/boats/?boat=UB+48
  20. https://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2011/08_aug/14_hms_prize.htm
  21. https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/150876-hms-prize-deck-hand-gilbert-john-wilson/
  22. https://astreetnearyou.org/cemetery/142001/PLYMOUTH-NAVAL-MEMORIAL
  23. https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/100-years-of-commonwealth-war-graves-naval-memorials/
  24. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/lest-we-forget-7-vcs-went-to-kiwis-in-foreign-forces/ZZENKELPRNLLJXU4Q5OQKWSTQE/
  25. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C33417
  26. https://navymuseum.co.nz/learn/museum-in-a-box-medals/william-sanders-page/
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