He completed his military training in the United Kingdom, after which he served aboard Helgoland, a Q-ship that operated against German submarines.

Sanders was awarded the VC for his actions while on his first patrol as captain, when Prize engaged and drove off a German U-boat that had earlier attacked and damaged his ship.

His VC, the first and only such medal to be awarded to a New Zealander serving with a naval force, was presented to his father and is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

He was not particularly interested in the trade and, desiring a career at sea, would go down to the wharves to inspect the berthed ships and chat with their captains and crewmen.

[3][4] In 1899, Sanders became aware of a vacancy for a cabin boy aboard Kapanui, a steamer that worked the coast north of Auckland.

In 1906, as an ordinary seaman, he transferred to NZGSS Hinemoa, a government steamer servicing lighthouses along the New Zealand coast and depots on offshore islands.

[6] With his seafaring career to date spent working on steamships, Sanders decided to gain experience under sail with the Craig Line.

[10][11] After Sanders' repeated pleas to authorities, eventually in June 1915 the New Zealand High Commissioner wrote to the Admiralty in support of his efforts to join the RNR.

He reached the United Kingdom on 17 April 1916 and made his way to London where, two days after his arrival, he was appointed an acting sub-lieutenant in the RNR.

[12] After completing a three-month junior officer's course at the training facility HMS Excellent on Whale Island,[13] Sanders was granted a position on Helgoland, a Q-ship operating against German submarines in the Western Approaches.

When attacked by U-boats, a portion of the ship's crew (referred to as a panic party) would appear to evacuate the vessel, sometimes setting smoke fires to simulate damage.

With limited manoeuvrability and with the attacking U-boat content to fire on the ship from a distance, Helgoland was forced to reveal its identity early in the action.

[21] In early 1917, he was appointed captain of HMS Prize,[Note 1] a three-masted topsail schooner that was sailing under the German flag when it was the first enemy ship to be seized by the British after the outbreak of the First World War.

Originally sold by the Admiralty to a shipping company, it was later offered to the Royal Navy for use as a decoy vessel and converted to a Q-ship in early 1917.

[24] This involved the addition of diesel engines, radio equipment and armament, including two 12-pounder guns; one was inside a collapsible deckhouse while the other was on a platform that was raised from the hold.

The U-boat approached her port quarter, whereupon Sanders ordered the White Ensign hoisted and Prize opened fire.

The damage to the ship was serious, and the German prisoners assisted in repairs as it made for the Irish coast and received a tow as it approached Kinsale.

[29][30] While Prize was being repaired, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, offered Sanders command of a destroyer of his choosing, which he declined.

Preferring to remain in his current role, Sanders returned to sea in late May with Prize conducting a second patrol for three weeks.

[35] Instead, the published details of his VC when it was gazetted simply read: In recognition of his conspicuous gallantry, consummate coolness, and skill in command of one of H.M.

[44] In June 1918, Sanders' father received his son's VC and DSO from the Earl of Liverpool, the Governor-General of New Zealand, in a ceremony at the Auckland Town Hall.

[45] Sander's VC, the first and only one awarded to a New Zealander serving with a naval force, and DSO are on display at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.