Hello
I've watched the Great War's special on submarine warfare, and without a doubt the most interesting aspect of it, that I'd never heard of before, was the merchant submarine programme. In short, a submarine designed for trade rather than warfare, capable of carrying several tonnes of goods from as far as the US back to Germany. The Kaiser didn't approve of this project being put into large use and instead favored unrestricted submarine warfare. We all know how that went.
I'll be honest, I think this is the most fateful turn of ww1. Germany's isolation, both in terms of trade and diplomacy was always Germany's biggest weakness and couldn't be turned no matter how many battles they won in the field. The merchant submarines would change just this, allowing Germany to start importing goods from the US and the rest of the world, bringing news from the war from a german perspective and not antagonize the rest of the world with unrestriced submarine warfare.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Could it be enough to turn the war? Keep in mind that this would begin in 1916.