After the outbreak of war, the Azores quickly suffered a drop in exports to their traditional markets, particularly in Great Britain. The British Navy was forced to reduce its presence in the waters around the Azores in favor of other theaters of war, which brought Azores trade to a virtual standstill from January 1915 after German submarines appeared off the island group.
After Portugal entered the war, the imperial submarine U-155 shelled Ponta Delgada on July 4, 1917, which was the first time the Azorean population was directly affected by the war. In order to restore safe passage through the waters of the Azores, the USA set up a military base in Ponta Delgada in early 1918. At the same time, a High Commission of the Republic was established there.
Without military reinforcements from the Portuguese mainland, life for the Azores’ inhabitants had deteriorated significantly. On the one hand, the trade restrictions caused financial losses, and on the other, many farmers had to leave their fields due to the defense measures. And since misfortune rarely comes alone, in addition to famine and war, plague broke out, further undermining public order, which had already been shaken by domestic political turmoil.
The largest flu epidemics of the twentieth century affected almost all of the Azores islands, while the naval war caused a shortage of food and medicine.
In this serious situation, the local authorities managed to make the best of the limited technological and economic resources available, also by working together with the military commanders.