Dudes!
It just shows how things can develop after posting something random.
Reading thro that Lowry link that G posted it was quite a shocking story,albeit unconfirmed.
I was even more taken aback as i know my grandfather had sailed on the Nicosian..which has got me delving goodo.
That sounds fascinating.
I'm not sure if you've already had a look at these..
Here has the story and also a picture of the Nevisian but it's unclear if this is actually the Nicosian after it was renamed....
Here is a pdf with some more detail, page 2..
The boarding party, which was meant to be made up of Marines on the "Baralong", also had the Chief Engineer and the Carpenter of the "Nicosian" amongst them complete with pistols.
Anyway the outcome was that LCDR Herbert told the Corporal of Marines not to take any prisoners and to remember the "Luistiania" and "Arabic." All of the naked German submariners that were aboard the "Nicosian" were shot out of hand.
All this was witnessed, by the crew and muleteers of the "Nicosian". The people from "Nicosian" return to their ship and it was towed to start with by the "Baralong" but they eventually made Avonmouth under their own steam.This seems to be the only mention that perhaps Nicosian crew members took part in the storming of the ship and subsequent summary executions but the bit that was mentioned in that Lowry link suggesting the U-Boat members might have been put in the furnace seems unlikely, as it indicates all the Nicosian crew had abandoned the ship prior to this assault. The Germans were likely just shot on sight when cornered, no quarter given.
There's also a little bit in this Google book
here.
Filling out the back story slightly,
Streetsofliverpool has a bit about it too, including a picture of the HQ ship mentioned, Egret (Eagle) and a picture of her moored in Brunswick dock...
(link if image not appearing ..
http://streetsofliverpool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/HMS-Eagle.jpg)
From the comments there, it would appear that her figurehead is still around,
...and is mounted on a wall at the Royal Naval Headquarters in Sefton Street where the present HMS Eaglet forms a part of the HQNot that it's ever an excuse for summary execution of those U Boat crew survivors, but the feeling of pent up hatred is perhaps understandable when you scan through this sobering list...
http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishBVLSMN1507.htmJuly - British Merchant Vessels Lost to Enemy Action in July: 20 merchant ships totalling 52,847grt - 19 of 48,844grt to submarines, 1 of 4,003grt to mines, plus 39 fishing vessels totalling 4,427grt - 36 of 3,966grt to submarines, 3 of 461grt to mines (H)
August - British Merchant Vessels Lost to Enemy Action in August: 49 merchant ships totalling 148,464grt - 42 of 135,153grt to submarines, 7 of 13,311grt to mines, plus 38 fishing vessels totalling 2,890grt - 36 of 2,454grt to submarines, 2 of 436grt to mines (H)
September - British Merchant Vessels Lost to Enemy Action in September: 30 merchant ships totalling 101,690grt - 22 of 89,693grt to submarines, 8 of 11,997grt to mines, plus 8 fishing vessels totalling 445grt - 6 of 292grt to submarines, 2 of 153grt to mines (H) ...and that's just those ships lost July-September 1915
We often assume naval warfare is somehow a clean thing, full of honour with men in neat uniforms who speak in clipped voices. It rarely is, it's brief but usually seriously brutal and those enemy combatants who somehow survive (from both sides perspectives) have so often then simply been left to die in the oceanic wastes or their boats run down or machine gunned.
I've almost just finished reading a large tome about all the Artic convoys during the 2nd WW. It's bleak and I can only have the greatest respect for those who took part and the so many who never returned and who had an unmarked watery grave.