What was the purpose of the Sussex Pledge in 1916?

During the First World War, the seas and oceans became battlefields.East Sussex was on the frontline because of the danger beneath the waves.

The war on the Western Front would not be won as quickly as some had hoped, by the time 1914 had become 1915.With all sides still trying to exert military dominance in the trenches, both Britain and Germany have begun to look beyond the land war and out to sea for a possible solution.

By November 1914, Britain had declared the seas around Germany to be a War Zone with any ships entering it doing so at their own risk.The blockade of Germany prevented most forms of trade and material from entering their ports.

The Germans turned to their U-Boat fleet to prevent shipping from reaching the British Isles.Given the amount of trade Britain conducted with the rest of the world, they declared the waters around their enemy to be a War Zone.

On 7 May 1915, the liner Lusitania was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland by German U-Boats, who had already sunk several civilian and relief ships.Only 761 of the 1,959 people on board survived the sinking.128 American civilians died.

The sinking of the Lusitania is a topic of high contention.Germany maintained that the ship was not a neutral target because it was carrying military supplies for the Western Front.The War Zone around Britain and the risks in sailing were highlighted in advertisements placed by the German embassy.

The British and Americans viewed the sinking as a war crime.At the time of her sinking, the Lusitania was a large steam liner with no weaponry.

The Germans reduced their U-Boat activities in order to prevent American anger from dragging them into the war.The German policy of unrestricted U-Boat warfare against merchant ships was instituted by 1916 because of the lack of breakthrough on the Western Front.At the time, passenger ships were not allowed to be targets in order to avoid the wrath of the United States.

Charles Price, a local resident, received a letter of commendation for his actions after the attack on the Sussex.The Newhaven Museum.

The policy was not successful.Cross-channel passenger services have been relocated to Dover and Folkestone due to Newhaven being used as the primary port for military supply to France.There was a passenger ferry that was torpedoed on 24 March 1916.

The ship lost most of its bow and suffered heavy damage when it didn't sink.The number killed was put at around 50.Several Newhaven residents who were first on the scene to rescue passengers from the channel were awarded medals and commendations for their bravery.

Under further pressure from America, the Germans gave the 'Sussex Pledge' which guaranteed that passenger ships would not be sunk, merchant ships were not sunk without confirmation of weaponry onboard, and that provision would be made for the rescue of the crew of any torpedoed ship.

Germany revoked the pledge again in 1917 because they believed they could score a decisive victory in the North Atlantic.The United States entered the war in April 1917 after they failed in their goal.

U-118 was a mine-laying German submarine.Two British ships were torpedoed by the vessel during it's service.After the end of the war in 1918, it sailed to France to be handed over to the Allies.

With the German Imperial Navy in the hands of Britain and France in 1919, the decision was made to scrap numerous ships and submarines.On April 15, 1919, U-118 was being towed through the English Channel towards the naval base.The ship was adrift after a storm broke the chains.

The residents of Hastings woke up the next day to find a new feature on the beach.Hundreds of people came to the beach to see the U-Boat.

The Admiralty allowed people to pay sixpence to go onto the deck of the submarine in order to raise money for the Mayor's Welcome Home Fund for returning soldiers.The chief boatman William Heard and the chief officer W. Moore gave tours of the ship to important visitors.

The tours were suspended after the men began complaining of internal pains.The stench of rotting food was thought to be the culprit but the men's condition deteriorated rapidly.Heard followed Moore in February 1920.According to a later inquest, both men had developed large abscesses in their lungs and brain, suggesting that chlorine gas had leaked from the ships batteries and poisoned them.

The ship became a nuisance that needed to be dealt with as it became less of a tourist attraction.It was too close to the street to be detonated by explosives.A French naval ship tried to break it up with fire from its guns, but no one succeeded.