A "battle" took place at Lake Malawi, where on August 16, 1914, the command British Captain Rhoades was ordered to "sink, burn, or destroy" the only boat of the German Empire stationed on the lake.

Having found a moored German vessel near Sphinxhaven, he fired a single shot at it from a distance of 1800 meters, immobilizing it. This event was described by The Times as the first British Navy victory in the First World War.