British subjects were forbidden to trade with those on the list. Great Britain had published a list of American persons and organizations suspected of German sympathies.
citizens also protested against the listing of cotton as contraband. As a result, the Royal Navy had intercepted merchant ships at sea-■ including American-and sent them into British ports for search and inspection, a procedure which often cost shippers weeks of delay and inconvenience. German submarines had made it impossible for the British to station ships off an enemy port and dangerous for them to search merchant vessels at sea. Great Britain, for example, had been antagonizing Americans since the instigation of the North Sea blockade in November 1914. The Allies and the Central Powers, locked in mortal combat, did not always calculate what the effects of an action would be upon America and the other fence-straddling nations. America had remained neutral despite being buffeted by the strong, chill winds of reality, first from one side, then the other- and, occasionally, from both directions at the same time. But the United States was a neutral nation at that time.Īnd in the summer of 1916, it was by no means certain that the United States would abandon the neutrality which it had maintained precariously for more than two years. “Hats off to the Deutschland”? From the hindsight of half a century, the salute seems surprising. There was no message for President Wilson-except the demonstrable fact that German submarines were capable of avoiding the British blockade and crossing the Atlantic. In time, the name of the captain was corrected to Paul Koenig, and the cargo was reported as being 750 tons of dyestuffs and chemicals valued at about SI,000,000. An editorial began, “Flats Off to the Deutschland.” It was reported that the vessel, under the command of a Captain Kairig, carried gold and an important message to President Woodrow Wilson. “UNARMED GERMAN SUBMARINE WITH MERCHANDISE CARGO NOW LIES NEAR BALTIMORE” ran the front page headline. The Monday issue of Baltimore’s The Sun reflected the excitement. on Monday, the submarine lay at the pier of the Eastern Forwarding Company, just to the northwest of Fort McHenry. In company with the Timmins, and under the direction of the Baltimore Pdot, the Deutschland moved up the Chesapeake Bay. From the response, he knew his Watch was over. Hinsch bellowed a greeting in German and listened. Timmins with all of her crew and Captain Hinsch on deck. As the light swept fore and aft, the crew of the pilot boat could see two men forward, two aft, and two on the bridge, fn reply to their hail, a guttural voice called °ut the name of the submarine-“Deutschland.” A few minutes later, a pilot clambered on hoard with an “I’ll be damned, here she is.” Close at hand came the Thomas F. on Sunday, 9 July, the Pdot boat on station saw to seaward the usual ®'gnal made by a vessel requesting a pilot, lowly and with growing caution, the pilot o°at closed the stranger, for she did not seem to have the customary lines of a steamer. Captains Hinsch and Cullison were o only two on board who knew the purpose °f the vigil.Īt about 1:00 a.m. Hinsch, who was faster of the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamer, - 1 eckar. ullison commanded the tug, but he took his orders from Captain F. Timmins had been cruising etween the Virginia capes. J^ince the first of July 1916, the Baltimore tug Thomas F.
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