This is a a photograph of the first German UBoat to be captured by a United States warship during World War 1.
On November 17, 1917 the USS Fanning was on convoy escort duty off the coast of Ireland when the German UBoat U-58 attempted to attack a merchant vessel in the convoy that the Fanning was protecting.
The UBoat had come close to the surface to line up its periscope before beginning its attack run, and at this moment the submarine was at its most vulnerable. The American warship spotted it and attacked. The submarine immediately submerged but was damaged by depth charges dropped by the American ship. Its diving diving planes were damaged and as a result the submarine could not remain submerged.
The Uboat was forced to surface a short distance away where it was again spotted by the Fanning. The Fanning fired on the German submarine with its guns and the Germans attempted to return fire with their lone surface gun. They were outmatched and outgunned, and so after a brief fight the submarine surrendered. Two German sailors were killed and the rest were taken on board the Fanning.
Below are some closeups of the German submariners standing on the deck of their damaged Uboat. The submarine later was sunk.
