SM U-41' was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. U-41 engaged in naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic. U-41 was sunk by British Q-ship on September 24, 1915 in the Second Baralong Incident. At this stage in the war, U-boat commanders were under orders to scrupulously observe the rules of war (the "cruiser rules"). After spotting merchant targets, submarines surfaced nearby, boarded the ships, and searched for contraband. This prevented the sinking of neutral vessels, but exposed the submarines to great risk.