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Originally Posted by Wolfstriked
Thanks frau kaleun that explains alot.So it was honor on the Allied countries part to not involve other the neutral countries.I'm pretty sure alot of ships still did this though and would imagine that the Uboats would decide if that ship flying a neutral flag but headed towards England is a target or not.And a quick change before they land back to allied flag so that people did not see their cowardiness.  |
Well no doubt some "neutral" ships would be considered valid targets under certain conditions. IIRC certain waters were declared a "war zone" once the attempted blockade of Britain began so any ship found to be sailing in and out of there was running the risk of being considered fair game.
And I assume that when it was still feasible for subs to stop a merchant for boarding and inspection, if any ship was found to be carrying war materiel destined for one's enemy that would justify sinking it.
There were some ships - commerce raiders, for instance - that did disguise themselves, but that was done to allow them to sneak up on their own targets, not just to avoid becoming a target themselves.
Anyway I think to some extent you are right that it was a matter of honor, but also a very practical matter of not doing something that would make the seas more dangerous for everyone in the long run just to alleviate some of the danger for yourself in the short term.