So they turned to Germany.
But the British needed something bigger.
The target: a small archipelago off the German coastline called Heligoland.
Photo credit
Heligoland is a small archipelago located about 46 kilometers off the German coastline in the North Sea.
Because of its strategic location, Heligoland has a long military history.
In 1890, the island was transferred to Germany in exchange for Zanzibar and other African territories.
Birdseye view of Helgoland, between 1890 and 1900.Photo credit
N.E.
The first naval engagement of the war, the Battle of Heligoland Bight, was fought near this island.
The Guinness Book of World Records lists the Heligoland explosion as the worlds largest single non-nuclear explosion in history.
The British originally expected the island to be totally destroyed.
The island survived but its physical shape was altered for ever.
Its southern tip caved in to a huge crater, that is today a celebrated tourist spot.
