HMS Baralong was a cargo steamship that was built in England in 1901, served in the Royal Navy as a Q-ship in the First World War, was sold into Japanese civilian service in 1922 and scrapped in 1933.

In 1900 and 1901 Bucknall Steamship Lines Ltd took delivery of a set of four new sister ships from two shipbuilders in North East England.

In 1900 Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd at Sunderland on the River Wear launched Manica on 25 September and Barotse on 22 December.

[1][2] In 1901 Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd at Low Walker on the River Tyne launched Bantu on 16 July and Baralong on 12 September.

[5] On 8 September 1902 Baralong left Britain towing a 30,000 DWT floating dock to be delivered to Durban in Natal.

[6] On 22 August 1905 Baralong collided with the Japanese ferry Kinjo Maru off Shimishima, killing 160 people.

Her first commander was Cdr Godfrey Herbert, who had a decade of experience in the Royal Navy Submarine Service, and was chosen to be a "poacher turned gamekeeper".

[9] Baralong spent the next four months patrolling the Southwest Approaches, seeking to lure a U-boat attack.

On 19 August 1915, while angered by the loss of the White Star passenger liner Arabic, the Baralong received a distress call from the Leyland Line cargo ship Nicosian, which U-27 had stopped under the cruiser rules, allowed to evacuate, and was attempting to sink by gunfire.

Flying a neutral United States flag as a disguise, the Q-ship approached Nicosian, signalling that she intended to rescue survivors.

When Baralong closed on Nicosian she lowered her US flag, raised her White Ensign, exposed her concealed guns and opened fire on U-27.

Nicosian's complement included neutral US citizens, most of whom were muleteers looking after the mules that formed part of her cargo.

Lt Cdr A Wilmot-Smith succeeded him in command of Baralong, which continued to patrol the Southwest Approaches.