Battle of the Porpoises
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| Battle of the Porpoises | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I | |||||||
 A sketch of the Brazilian cruiser Bahia, responsible for the massacre | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Brazil - Represented by the Naval division for War Operations (DNOG) |
(Confused with)  German Empire Mediterranean Marine life | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Rear Admiral Pedro Max | None | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 scout cruiser |
(Confused with) 1 U-boat (Actually) Dozens of porpoises | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
None Multiple pents of ammunition | More than 10 Porpoises | ||||||
The Battle of the Porpoises was a blunder involving the Brazilian Navy in the Gibraltar Strait during November 1918, near the end of the First World War.[1]
Involved in a patrolling expedition against potential German submarines, the ship's crew committed, due to stress and a series of confusing factors caused by the fog of war, a slaughter against a passing shoal of porpoises, which, while surfacing the waters near the ship, were mistaken for a periscope of a U-boat, prompting the crew to shoot at the animals in reaction.[2]
Context
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With the end of the First World War closing by, the ships of the Brazilian Naval Division for War Operations received orders from the British Admiralty to move to Gibraltar. Admiral Pedro Max Frontin, commander of the cruiser Bahia, was alerted to be careful while under operations, as the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Britannia, designated to scout the Brazilian flotilla, was sunk by a German submarine. With potentially a significant number of other German submarines present in the area, they posed a threat of attack in the region at the time.[3]
The incident
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During a night patrol, the watchman in the crew warned of a sighting of a periscope in the water. Fearing a potential German attack, the crewmen began firing upon the ocean blindly, trying to defend themselves from the German submarines. The waters became red-tainted after minutes of continuous gunfire from the ship's artillery. What was initially thought to have been a German submarine periscope was, in reality, a shoal of porpoises, after observing the bodies of the cetaceans floating on the surface.[4]
Explanations and similar incidents
Partially anecdotal, it is noticeable that, at the time, there were no electronic detection submarines for submarines, being such incidents, caused by extreme tension and battle stress provoking such collateral damage not uncommon even in marine warfare. Such an example is another incident during the Falklands War, more than six decades after, when, in 1982, the British frigate HMS Brilliant, possessing the most modern electronic equipment, confused a whale group passing by with Argentinian submarines, firing upon the animals.[4][5]
See also
References
- ^ "Grandes Guerras - Os grandes conflitos do século XX". 2016-04-20. Archived from the original on 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ "O Brasil na Primeira Guerra – e o ataque a toninhas que entrou para a história | Blog do Curioso, por Marcelo Duarte". 2018-11-25. Archived from the original on 2018-11-25. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ "Uma participação cômica do Brasil na Primeira Guerra Mundial: A Batalha das Toninhas". 2018-11-25. Archived from the original on 2018-11-25. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ a b Daróz Carlos Roberto Carvalho. O Brasil Na Primeira Guerra Mundial : A Longa Travessia. São Paulo: Editora Contexto; 2016. ISBN 978-85-7244-952-6
- ^ Wiltgen, Guilherme (2013-09-03). "Ops…o submarino inimigo era uma baleia!". Defesa Aérea & Naval (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-07-05.
Bibliography
- Daróz Carlos Roberto Carvalho. O Brasil Na Primeira Guerra Mundial : A Longa Travessia. São Paulo: Editora Contexto; 2016. ISBN 978-85-7244-952-6