The First American on a German U-Boat - Carl Frank List

In the summer of 1914, the world went mad. What began with a single gunshot in Sarajevo spiraled into the bloodiest conflict humanity had ever seen. Nations that had stood for centuries collapsed in months. Old empires died. New alliances were born. Battle lines were drawn. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary joined forces with the Ottoman Turks, forming the Central Powers. While the British Empire, France and Russia stood united as the Allies. Across Europe, millions of men were called to war, and the oceans themselves became battlefields. New weapons were also born. Beneath the waves, a silent killer emerged, the German U-Boat. It hunted, unseen, striking from the depths without warning, and sending entire fleets to the bottom of the sea. For the first time in history, no sailor anywhere was truly safe. And yet one American teenager, barely 17 years old, would find himself inside one of these machines. Not as a soldier, not as a prisoner, but as something no one had ever been before. This is the story of Carl Frank List. So, how did a boy from Portland, Oregon, end up trapped beneath the sea with the German Navy? What did he see inside the U-Boat that no other American had ever witnessed? And how did his story, nearly forgotten, resurface half a century later? Hello, I'm Colin Heaton, former history professor, Army and Marine Corps veteran, and welcome to this episode of Forgotten History. In Portland, Oregon, in the summer of 1914, at age 17, Carl Frank List, along with his best friend Moses, who was 16, signed onto a Norwegian cargo ship, a fully rigged, steel-hulled wind jammer named the Cambus Kenneth. Built in 1893 in Glasgow, Scotland, with an international 22-man crew made up of three Americans, seven Germans, one Englishman, eight Norwegians, one Swede, one Finn, and one Brazilian. Their cargo was wheat. Destinations were Queenstown, Ireland, and then Liverpool, England. List had made friends with other young sailors on the nearby German ship Dahlbeck, namely his friends Walter Custer, Moses, whose actual name was Erich Volker, and Willy Runge, who taught him what he needed to know. On the Cambus Kenneth, the ship's carpenter, Hermann Nilsson, a German Navy reservist, was also important in his learning. After the conclusion of their voyage on the Cambus Kenneth, List planned of ending up at Moses' family's beach resort for a fun time swimming and sailing his small sloop on the island of Rügen off the north coast of Germany, thinking that any conflict would be over before they got there. They all knew that the empires of Germany and Austria-Hungary were at war with the empires of Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Imperial Russia. They were on a neutral vessel, confident that neutrality would shield them from the dangers of a European war. Before sailing, the men cleaned and painted the ship. Their planned journey took them south through the eastern Pacific around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America, eventually arriving at Ireland. Being new to the sea, List learned the ropes as a cabin boy, which he hated, wanting to do deck work. He was then approved for deck work, standing watches, working the rigging, furling sails, and dealing with issues aboard ship as they arose. After passing through the equator, they experienced the wrath of King Neptune and became qualified shellbacks. The rough weather at the Straits of Magellan was legendary, and the crew had to run safety lines in the high seas and wind. The crew nearly mutinied against the captain, with the seasoned sailors claiming that the ship needed to be put into port and repaired to be seaworthy before rounding the Cape Horn. The crew chose to make repairs at sea rather than risk stopping in Calao, Peru. After rounding Cape Horn, they battled monstrous waves and relentless winds that crashed over the deck with freezing temperatures testing every man aboard. Passing by the Falkland Islands, they met two other ships and received new information. German submarines were sinking merchant ships. The Cambus-Geneth lifeboats were prepared with a month's worth of provisions, food, and water in case they were needed. Norway's neutrality and the fact that the ship sailed under its flag did not exempt it from German interception or inspection for what Berlin deemed contraband materials that could support the Allied war effort, including weapons or ammunition. During their adventure, despite carrying chickens, pigs, and pigeons for food, the crew managed to harpoon a 10-foot shark after failing to land a porpoise. As they headed north through the South Atlantic, the boredom of being in the doldrums and suffering the tropical heat replaced the fear of the great storms and freezing rain. They also came across the British tramp steamer Statesman on June 23rd, who informed them that many ships had been sunk around the British Isles, especially Ireland. The Cambus-Geneth was about 40 hours from port when, on June 28th, 1915, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Woodnut informed them of increased German U-boat activity. The Woodnut officers also informed the Cambus-Geneth crew of the status of the war. The British officers wanted the German crew members taken aboard their ship to be interned, but Captain Sowell convinced them to allow his Germans to remain on board the Cambus-Geneth until they reached Queensland. The British agreed. Hearing this news, the German crew members were worried that they would be interned in Ireland, and neutral crew members wondered how they would get home. Meanwhile, the German submarine U-39 had left port several days before on a 21-day patrol, intercepting cargo ships for inspection and sinking any enemy warships. Launched just six months earlier, it was the most advanced submarine in the Imperial German Navy at that time. Any neutral cargo ship found to be destined for a hostile port could be seized or sunk, depending upon the cargo. The German commander had the authorization to allow the ship to continue if headed to a neutral port, and if the ship was not carrying contraband. Then, 20 miles off Galley Head, the U-39 surfaced, and a cannon shot was fired across the bow of the Cambus-Geneth. The German commander demanded the ship's cargo manifest be delivered, and the ship surrendered for inspection. The first mate rode a lifeboat to the U-boat and delivered the cargo manifest. The German commander ordered him back to the Cambus-Geneth with a warning. The ship would be sunk, and the crew had 10 minutes to abandon it. This was because the destination was a British port, and the cargo of wheat was considered contraband. The crew abandoned the ship, but the German sailors were told to board the U-boat, and Karl List was included. The rest were able to row to the Irish shore with the windjammer's captain. This was the third ship sunk by U-39 since it began its patrol, the first being the British steamer Campania, and the Norwegian transport Kotka, sunk earlier the same day as Cambus-Geneth, but there would be more. List became the first American to ever set foot upon a German U-boat, and because the United States was not yet at war, he was treated as a neutral guest. Learning that he was a German-American who spoke fluent German, the U-39's commander, Kapitänleutnant Walter Forstmann, decided to keep him on board with the German sailors from the Cambus-Geneth. Forstmann gave his new guest very specific orders. Do not get in the way, remain in the mess room when the U-boat was in action, no smoking while submerged, and fresh water was strictly rationed. This began List's 12 days at sea on the U-boat, and he took detailed mental notes of the submarine's interior configuration, the crew's duties and routines, and observed the rest of the U-39's patrol. The U-boat crew updated their guests on the war. List and his friends learned of the sinking of the Lusitania, which had strained relations between Germany and the United States. The guests were given blankets and sleeping arrangements. The U-boat now crammed with men continued on its war patrol, with List being on board as the U-39 sank 11 more vessels before its last battle. At all times, Forstmann spoke gently with the crew and guests and always informed them of the action. In order to know what the enemy was saying, Forstmann had Karl List read him English newspapers he captured. The navigator, Franz Schwarz, would also join them. While surfaced, the guests could go on deck for fresh air. If smoke or a vessel were sighted, they had to go below. Non-belligerent ships going to neutral ports were allowed to continue once their paperwork and cargo was inspected. U-39 stopped the British freighter Lomas that had left Argentina for Belfast loaded with corn. The crew were allowed to abandon the ship before it was sunk by the deck gun, and they were later rescued. On Thursday, July 1st, 1915, U-39 would sank five more steamers. That day, the steamer Gadsby was sunk by torpedo. A couple of hours later, the Greek steamer Leon was stopped, inspected, and allowed to go on its way. Before noon, U-39 sank the British steamer Caucasian off the English coast headed for Gibraltar. Then, the Spanish steamer Pana Agostino was stopped, and after being allowed to proceed, the Spanish captain gave Forstmann some bottles of wine and boxes of fresh cherries. No sooner had the Spanish ship left, U-39 encountered the very large and rather new British steamer Inglemore carrying ammunition. It was sunk by a torpedo. Then, right after the evening meal, another ship was sighted. The Dutch freighter Salina was inspected and unmolested, but Captain Forstmann had a request. He wanted to buy some butter and eggs, and the sale was made. But the day was not over, as just before sunset, two more ships were spotted. After using the deck gun to stop the British transport Richmond, loaded with American timber and railroad ties, it was hit by a torpedo. The second ship tried to get away, but U-39 caught up to the British cargo ship Kregard, loaded with American cotton destined for France. U-39 fired into the waterline. Darkness prevented further action, so U-39 submerged, and then, at dawn on July 2nd, U-39 surfaced. Both ships were crippled, but still afloat. Forstmann sent crews over in small boats to the two ships, and they opened the seacocks to flood the ships, finally sinking them. Two hours later, U-39 chased down another ship flying a Dutch flag, but after firing the deck gun, the ship replaced their flag with the Belgian ensign. They had tried to hide their nationality as a belligerent nation. It was the Belgian steamer Bodognat which was sunk by torpedo after the crew were allowed to abandon ship. U-39 submerged to evade any enemy response, but later surfaced and spotted another ship upon reaching periscope depth. It was believed to be the British steamer City of Edinburgh, and a torpedo was fired while submerged, but it missed. Given the fact that the ship had fast escorts, U-39 dived to escape the area. After a few hours, U-39 surfaced and stopped a small schooner, the French Hirondella, which was sunk by gunfire. The next day, July 3rd, 1915, the British ship Renfrew was stopped and sunk, followed by the British steamer Larchmore. Later in the afternoon, the clipper ship Fiery Cross was sunk with charges placed on board. U-39 later engaged a British ocean liner with naval escorts. The sub's last torpedo missed the target. Then the escort vessels came hunting for the German sub, which crash-dived and managed to escape being sunk. List wrote that Captain Forstmann did not feel too bad at having missed the target, since being a liner, it may have had women and children on board. The next day, another ship was sighted, but with no torpedoes, only the deck gun could be used. The British steamer Anglo-Californian was shelled by U-39, killing nine on board, including the captain, but the ship, while damaged, fired back with small arms. Then a fast British sub-chaser, or submarine hunter, was spotted coming toward U-39, firing a cannon. Forstmann took U-39 down deep. The steamer escaped and made port at Queenstown on July 5th. The once Spandau machine gun on the U-boat jammed and was brought below deck to be repaired and placed next to List as a German worked on it. List kept a mental record of everything that had transpired during these battles. This information would become important after he returned to the United States and was debriefed. List picked up some of the parts of the machine gun, and a German sailor yelled at him to put it down. Then Captain Leutnant Forstmann came down asking what the problem was. When informed, he said, oh that Carl, he has to stick his inquisitive nose and hands into everything. Leave him alone, he can't hurt it. The damn thing is no good anyway. Then List learned that the U-boat was also out of cannon shells. Time for U-39 to go home. During the journey, the passengers helped cook and with dishwashing duties. The trip back to Helgeland took six days, as the sub navigated around Northern Ireland, Northern Scotland, and into the North Sea, with the U-boat running on the surface when possible, usually at night, and sometimes resting on the ocean bottom to avoid detection. One thing that List had noted was, when they were off the coast of Ireland, U-39 met U-20, who was replacing her on patrol. It was the U-20 that had sunk the Lusitania two months earlier. Arriving in Kiel, Germany, List and the German sailors from the Kampaskeneth disembarked and went to the ship's carpenter Nilsson's family tavern. List had his first German beer and declined an offer from the destroyer Flotilla Commander to join him on his ship for a bottle of wine, which List did not know was a major insult when he refused. But being from a neutral nation, List then boarded a German destroyer and went to the German port of Wilhelmshaven. This was where he encountered British, French, and Russian prisoners of war. He was allowed to board a train for Bremen and then Hamburg, where he was formally interrogated and came close to being drafted into the German military. Finally, being deemed a legitimate neutral and because of his young age, he was allowed to continue on to the town of Altenburg in Saxony, where he had an uncle by marriage and distant relatives. After his arrival, his uncle had him fill out postcards to send to his mother. Upon arriving, List had no papers. They had gone down with the ship and therefore could not receive a ration card, but he did get work as a brickmasons helper for a couple of weeks. Then he was sent to Leipzig, where there was an American consulate. The consul found his story fascinating and he filed the paperwork for List to go to Berlin, where he could be sent home as a neutral shipwrecked sailor. While in Berlin, he met an old childhood friend of his mother and then he went to the American embassy, where he met the first secretary, Joseph C. Grew, who interviewed him. They verified his story through a Western Union telegram and gave him a passport and train ticket to The Hague in the Netherlands, where he was booked on the Dutch ship Rotterdam to New York. After disembarking the Rotterdam in New York, Carl List was interviewed by Albert Grant, chief of the U.S. submarine service. List gave a very detailed sketch of the interior of the U-boat and gave them information of the workings of U-39. List also confirmed the actions and tactics used against the ships in detail and which ships were sunk. This valuable information would prove critical later when America entered the war. Upon arriving in New York, List was met by the press and he was paid $100 to sell his unique story exclusively to the Hearst News Syndicate, which loved sensational stories whether true or not. He became an instant celebrity. List was treated very well in New York and got a new set of clothes as well as work as the quartermaster on the steamer Honolulun headed to the Pacific coast. Car Frank List was going home. Taking his turn at the ship's helm, he went through the Panama Canal and then sailed into Los Angeles after a four-week voyage. The ship continued on to San Francisco, but after entering port, the ship's captain refused to pay the crew their wages. List was stranded in San Francisco for two weeks until he encountered another sailor friend. This friend would smuggle him aboard another steamer headed to Astoria, Oregon and finally home to Portland. Over the years, Carl List met with old shipmates and learned that his story had been written in a book by Grew titled Turbulent Era. As List searched for his former shipmates, he learned 40 years later that the former U-39 navigator Franz Schwarz and the commander, retired captain Dr. Walter Forsman, were still alive. They corresponded by letters for a few years. In 1954, List also found out that his best friend, Eric Folker, also known as Moses, upon returning to Germany was inducted into the Navy and lost his life during the German Revolution at the end of the war. In 1970, Carl List traveled to Germany to meet some of his old German shipmates, as well as the German officers who sank his ship. These reunions 55 years later were published in German newspapers. Forstmann wrote a letter regarding Carl List in March 1971, which reads, and I quote, The greatest experience of Carl List will always remain his 12-day cruise aboard German submarine U-39 during the war year 1915. Unquestionably, it was for him a one-time episode of his life. Remarkable is it also that this young 17-year-old boy never showed any fear or gave any sign or thoughts of the peril and dangers that existed. To him, it was an unforgettable adventure. Also, his relation and that of his friends with the crew of the submarine, in spite of the difficult and uncomfortable arrangement aboard, has been remarkably portrayed. Many years later, he managed to get in touch with me. This reached its culmination during the previous year, 1970, when, from the west coast of America and from the city of Portland, in his 73rd year, he visited me and was my guest in Essen. Our reunion, after 55 years, was for him and me a joyful occasion. Signed, Walter Forstmann, at the time commander of U-39. At 17 years of age, Carl List set out chasing the same dreams of freedom and excitement that filled the hearts of young men for generations. What he found instead was war, raw, mechanical, and merciless. He was neither soldier nor spy. Yet, his 12 days aboard a German U-boat placed him inside one of the most secret weapons of the Great War. His story is more than adventure. It is a reminder of how youth, chance, and history sometimes collide to create something unforgettable. Thank you for watching this episode of Forgotten History. If you liked what you saw, please click like, share, and subscribe. And, if you would like to assist with the ever-increasing cost of production, please consider becoming a channel member and joining our Patreon page. Please check out our merchandise store. And, thanks for watching.