| Action of 14 October 1918 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War I | |||||||
Portuguese Navy ship NRPAugusto de Castilho |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Portugal | German Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Carvalho Araújo † | Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 Patrol boat 1 Civilian steamer |
1 Submarine | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Patrol boat sunk with 6 dead and several wounded | Submarine damaged, unknown human casualties | ||||||
The Action of 14 October was a naval engagement of the First World War when the German Navy submarine U-139 attacked the Portuguese civilian steamer São Miguel and the Portuguese Navy patrol boat NRPAugusto de Castilho in the Atlantic Ocean on the 14 of October, 1918.[1]
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On the island of Madeira, the Portuguese patrol boat NRPAugusto de Castilho under the command of the First Lieutenant Carvalho de Araújo received the mission of escorting the Portuguese civilian steamer São Miguel, who was property of the Empresa Insulana de Navegação and was sailing from the port of Funchal in Madeira to the port of Ponta Delgada on the Azores archipelago, with 206 passengers, and several tons of diverse cargo on board.[2]
The NRPAugusto de Castilho, originally the fishing trawler Elite, built in 1909, was requisitioned by the Portuguese government and transferred to the service of the Portuguese Navy who adapted the ship to serve as a patrol boat when Portugal entered the war in 1916.[3] The ship was equipped with two small Hotchkiss cannons, one of 65 mm on the bow and another of 47mm on the stern.[3]
After leaving the port of Funchal on the sunset of 13 October, the steamer São Miguel came under fire at 06:15 AM on 14 of October from the German submarine U-139, one of the most modern and better equipped submarines of the German Navy, armed with two powerful 150 mm cannons and six torpedo launch tubes, and under the command of the famous Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière. In order to protect the São Miguel, and after using all the smoke boxes available for creating a smoke curtain while repeatedly firing the stern cannon, the First Lieutenant Carvalho de Araújo gave orders for the NRPAugusto de Castilho to turn port, describing half a circle, and advance towards the German U-139, taking for itself the artillery fire from the submarine, thus giving time to the steamer São Miguel to escape at full speed.
After two hours of fierce but disproportionate fighting,[4] and with several fatal casualties on deck, the artillery damaged, without ammunition,[4] and having lost the telegraph and the ship's engine, the Portuguese ship surrendered by lowering the national flag and raising a white flag. However, the German submarine continued firing, hitting the patrol ship with a direct shot and causing the death of the First Lieutenant Carvalho de Araújo and injuries by the second time on the Midshipman Armando Ferraz.[2] After receiving orders by the Midshipman to abandon ship, the Portuguese survivors were able to enter in two life boats. The ship was then boarded and sunk by the Germans with explosive charges,[2] carrying with him the body of Carvalho de Araújo and of all Portuguese sailors who had perished during the battle.
One of the life boats arrived at the island of Santa Maria Island after forty eight hours with twenty nine of the survivors, having one of the injured sailors died during their journey. The other life boat, with twelve survivors arrived at the island of São Miguel Island, on 17 October.
This was the last fight of the German U-139, as a few weeks later, in 24 November 1918, the submarine surrendered to France.[5]