They carried arms, but nothing you`d want to take on larger than a row boat, the deck gun was their firepower. If you had to surface near a warship, or two, you are already in trouble, the best thing to do would be throw your hands up, while the charges to scuttle the boat were set, then get the hell off it. Better to smoke those English, or Yankee cigarettes, then get ripped a new "A".
