THE MERCHANT U-BOAT - Adventure of the Deutschland 1916-1918

Messimer, Dwight R.

Annapolis, Naval Institute Press 1988, hard bound in dj, VG/VG cond , light scuffing to dj, US first edition, vii, 234 pages, well illustrated, notes, bibliog, index.-----------------------------------------Everyone with a taste for adventure and intrigue will appreciate this entertaining and informative book. Based on the World War I records of the German navy, the British Admiralty, the U.S. Department of State, and contemporary newspaper reports, it offers the first detailed account of the unorthodox activities of the Deutschland. This uniquely designed U-boat, built with an exceptionally wide beam to carry cargo, was Germany's desperate response to a British blockade that by 1916 had driven the regular merchant fleet from the seas, leaving Germany cut off from foreign markets and on the verge of economic collapse.---------------------------------------------Here, Dwight Messimer recounts the submarine's two dramatic trips to the United States for critical supplies of nickel and introduces the reader to the highly secret Etappendienst, a complex international network of agents, dummy companies, and bank accounts, charged with ensuring war materials for the homeland. In addition, the book provides a fascinating overall picture of World War I and of American attitudes towards the war and its participants. It also offers an inside look at the intelligence-gathering operations of the three leading powers, presenting some amusing anecdotes in the process. For example, the Germans, fearing British sympathizers among the Americans at a Deutschland port of call, hired only black stevedores to load cargo, unaware that one of them was a British spy. The issues of neutrality and international law are also fully covered.---------------------------------------------Though the role this famous blockade runner played in the war was minor, the German attempt to use a U-boat as a merchant vessel both its successes and failures deserves examination. Unable to operate on the sea's surface in 1916, the German navy was faced with a problem that some believe the United States might face in future conflicts. Her solution and careful study of the Deutschland's specific experiences could prove beneficial to those investigating nontraditional roles for today's submarines

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