I read about Article 22 recently. It meant that u-boat commanders had to stop and search merchants that they came across and if found to be carrying contraband could be legitimately sunk. Before doing this the crew of the merchant had to be allowed to abandon ship before the ship was sunk by the u-boat. At the beginning of the war several ships were sunk observing Article 22. However, as the war progressed it bacame unworkable as Allied air cover extended well beyond the ports and coasts of Britain and it was risky for u-boats to surface and board a merchant without being attacked by aircraft or a destroyer in the vicinity that had been alerted by the merchant with the emergency call sign "SSS". Unrestricted attacks against Allied merchant shipping was soon to follow.
Nemo
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