Sweeping Look at World War II at Sea

Gunther Prien grew up at sea, joining the merchant service as a cabinboy at 15. In October 1939, with World War II just a month old, the 31-year-old Prien stood in the conning tower of U-47, a German U-boat plying the North Sea toward the United Kingdom. Looking through his binoculars, he finally spotted a much-needed landmark: the Orkney Islands. Sheltered within them was Scapa Flow, the British Royal Navy's sprawling anchorage. Captain Prien told none of the crew of the submarine's mission. Now his first officer, Engelbert Endrass, dared to ask if they were going to move into the islands. Prien told him, “We are going into Scapa Flow.”