Nearby sailing trawlers initially hesitated because the cruisers were believed to be in a minefield. The Dutch steamship Flora nevertheless approached and rescued 286 men, while Titan and two large sailing trawlers recovered many more. British destroyers did not reach the scene until 10:45, by which time civilian mariners had accepted much of the immediate danger. In total 837 men survived, but 62 officers and 1,397 ratings were killed. U-9 conserved its limited submerged electrical power by remaining underwater through the night and returning to base the next day. The pursuing destroyers had neither depth charges nor ASDIC. Civilian courage filled the immediate rescue gap while the Royal Navy still lacked mature means to find and attack a submerged boat.
Notable Point · 1:25:54-1:27:21
Civilian rescue and the anti-submarine gap after U-9
Dutch steamships and sailing trawlers saved hundreds of sailors, while U-9 escaped a destroyer search conducted without mature anti-submarine weapons.