fishing boats , trawlers?

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by Ping Panther

I am reading "Unrestricted Warfare", and it discusses U.S. Submariners attacking fishing boats along the coasts in the Pacific. It was considered an alternate target when no other was available, and it was rationalized that it depleted the local enemy of food resources.

According to Clay Blair's Silent Victory, Admiral Christie in Fremantle got fed up with it and issued a policy change. He wrote, "The destruction of a small sailing vessel is regretted. We are not at war with inhabitants of the Netherland East Indies and Philippine Islands. The destruction of their craft does the enemy little or no harm and is forbidden."

On the other hand this was the same guy who defended the defective magnetic detonators on USN torpedoes.