The boat and officers behind the boarding

Liverpool needed a boat fast enough to cross the water but small enough to keep the boarding party compact. Lieutenant Commander G. H. Greenway led the operation, Lieutenant Colin Madden was his senior assistant, and engineering officer M. F. Stoodup brought German-language and technical expertise to the interviews. Parts of their biographical reconstruction remain uncertain: Greenway's identification and later submarine fate are tentative, while Stoodup is difficult to trace beyond service records and the incident file. Madden appears more clearly in later records and had a varied career that included helping the Dutch royal family. The officers targeted German passengers whose navigation, engineering, or other technical skills could strengthen Germany's navy and war effort. Personnel selection, language skills, and judgment mattered as much as weapons during the boarding.