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All sides signed treaties subscribing to Rules of Prize Warfare before World War I and they were in effect during World War II but all sides ignored them in both wars. In 1912, British Admiral Sir John "Jackie" Fisher , by then a retired First Sea Lord , presented a paper to the Cabinet . He developed the argument that submarines would find adherence to Prize Rules impossible, for practical reasons: a submarine could not capture a merchant ship, for it would have no spare manpower to deliver the prize to a neutral port, neither could it take survivors or prisoners, for lack of space. "''...there is nothing a submarine can do except sink her capture.''" If a merchant ship were armed, as was permitted by a conference in London in 1912, then a submarine was under more pressure to destroy a ship. He asked: "''What if the Germans were to use submarines against commerce without restriction?''" This last comment was thought to be unsupportable. Winston Churchill , then First Lord Of The Admiralty and political head of the Navy, supported by senior naval opinion, said it was inconceivable that "''...this would ever be done by a civilised power.''". It was Fisher who was proved correct. The treaties are still in effect today. SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
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