[Hitman]

Horsepoop.

A surfaced U-boat (even obviously damaged) can fire a torpedo.

In war it is KILL or BE KILLED.

Preventing the crew from abandoning the U-boat by laying suppressive fires on it... and discouraging said crew from scuttling it... can give a boarding crew time enough to get to the U-boat and have an opportunity to capture battle winning information.

In so doing, a captain launching a boarding party places his own boat at risk of attack by other potentially undetected U-boats.

Controlling the scene surrounding a foe that may still yet have his teeth and will to fight isn't brutality. WAR is brutality. War IS Hell. To fight a war, regardless of which side you are on... you must come to peace with the idea of ending someone's life.

It can also be argued that it was brutal for convoys to be under orders not to pick up survivors of previous attacks.

It can also be arguably classified as 'brutality' when you are forced to commit to a DC run through survivors already in the water from lost vessels... You must deny the enemy his attack and its possible consequences...

These things necessarily happened more than you may realize.

You must also understand the stress caused by constant uncertainty... and the compressing weight of being continuously close to death at any moment, for all involved.

Firing SOMETHING... ANYTHING... EVERYTHING at an enemy that you can FINALLY lay your eyes on... becomes almost unstoppable.

However, when the threat for the moment ends, humanity returns... and the urge to rescue "Those men in the water!" returns, whether or not it is possible given the circumstances of the moment. Whether or not they are friend or foe no longer matters.

...The needs of the many? The needs of the few? Make the wrong decision and you wouldn't be a captain for long... and may even be shot for dereliction of duty.

Maybe in the future, before making such sweeping statements as you did concerning ASW ship commanders and their implied regularity of brutality, you can take a few minutes to walk in their shoes as best you can.

There is a lot more to it than what meets your eye.

It certainly wasn't anywhere near as simple as you made it out to be.

I fully agree and want to add: According to standard and internationally approved naval war rules, no combat ship ceases to be treated as hostile/enemy until it has unmistekably surrendered, f.e. waving a white flag and/or lowering its own national flag. A surfaced U-Boot has not necessarily surrended and still retains potential to attack the enemy. Plus a surfaced U-Boot the crew is leaving WITHOUT previously surrendering is still a combatant. Self-sinking practices are not allowed once surrended, thus any ship involved in self-sinking is still hostile.