A very nice official

World War One 

US Press Photo Agency Shot

of 

Imperial German Navy U-boot

U-36

stopping & capturing 2 Merchant Vessels

in the 

North Sea Blockade in 1915

Laid down in January 1913 in Kiel,

U-36 was launched & commissioned in 1914

under the command of 

Kapitanleutnant Ernst Graeff.

Serving with the Kriegsmarine's 2nd Flotilla in The North Sea

she was successful in sinking 14 merchant ships

and capturing 2, including the Dutch vessels

Zonderstroon and Battavier

(featured here in the US Press photo).

U-36 was eventually attacked & sunk off the Outer Hebrides

after being hoodwinked by the famous British

Merchant 'Q' Ship 'Prince Charles' 

captained by Lt Wardlaw

on July 24th 1915.

Sunk by the 'Q' ship's gun fire after mistaking 

Prince Charles for an unarmed merchantman,

U-36 went down with the loss of 18 crew, though 15

survived including Kapitanleutnant Graeff.

The first U-boot to be sunk by a 'Q' Ship in 

The Great War,

Lt Wardlaw was awarded the Distinguished Service Order

for this action on the high seas,

whilst 2 of his crew received DSMs, with a prize of £1,000

being awarded to, and distributed amongst, the remaining crew.

A large size sepia photo in pretty good order & measuring

approx 10" x 6", this official

press shot, issued to the world's media by the (then) neutral

US Topical Press Agency of New York,

features U-36 lying off the Zonderstoorm & Battavier

in The North Sea,

having ordered them to heave-to before boarding

them & taking them under escort to Zeeburugge!

A rare piece of Imperial German U-boot photographic history..

(B/W Photo U-36 courtesy of The Tomahawk Films Archive)

 Thanks for looking..!