On the morning of December 3, 1916, Funchal experienced one of the most dramatic episodes in its recent history. Around 8:30 a.m., a German submarine surfaced off the bay and launched a surprise bombardment of the city and three anchored ships. The account published at the time describes an abrupt and terrifying beginning: “Diario Notícias brings us these lines, still under the painful impression caused by the terrible and tragic events of yesterday.”
Without warning, the submarine opened fire, causing destruction and panic among the population. According to the records from the time, “the city was in indescribable pandemonium,” with residents fleeing to higher ground and the outskirts. The attack caught everyone off guard: “The assault was so sudden that the strong could do little or nothing.”
For almost four hours, the submarine continued the bombardment. The ships ‘Dacia’, ‘Madeira’, and ‘Porto’ were the main targets. The ‘Dacia’ was hit first, with an explosion that, according to the DIÁRIO newspaper at the time, “was heard like thunder that shook the entire city”. It sank minutes later. The ‘Madeira’ suffered the same fate, while the ‘Porto’, although seriously damaged, “continued to burn, struggling not to capsize”.
In the city, too, the damage was extensive. Doors and windows shattered, facades were damaged, and urban life was thrown into chaos. Our morning paper described it: “Many houses were destroyed, the population ran disoriented through the streets, and terror was visible on every face.” Despite the violence of the attack, the number of victims was lower than initially feared.
The bombardment ended in the early afternoon, when the submarine moved away to offshore territory. The episode would come to be recognized as one of the most unexpected and violent attacks on Madeira during the First World War.
The newspaper recorded the sentiment that remained in the city: “Yesterday morning will forever be etched in the memory of the people of Madeira.”
109 years later, the 1916 attack remains one of the most significant events in the archipelago’s military history — a day when war, until then distant, brutally arrived on the shores of Funchal.