History of Madeira the ships, the Germans proceeded to bombard Funchal for two hours from a range of about . Batteries on Madeira returned fire and eventually forced the Germans to withdraw. In 1917 on December 12, two German U-boats, and (captained by Max Valentiner) again bombarded Funchal, Madeira. This time the attack lasted around 30 minutes. Forty, 4.7 inch and 5.9 inch shells were fired. There were 3 fatalities and 17 wounded, In addition, a number of houses and Santa Clara church were hit. A priest, José Marques Jardim, promised in 1917 to build a monument should peace ever return to Madeira.
Desertas Islands the colony numbered only eight, now, the population numbers approximately twenty seals. The only human presence is the permanent wardens, geologists, occasional boaters, and the few research stations on the islands. Desertas Islands The Desertas Islands (, , "Deserted Islands") are a small archipelago, in the Macaronesia region of the Atlantic Ocean. They are within the Portuguese Autonomous Region of Madeira, and part of the larger Madeira Archipelago. The archipelago is located off the coast of Morocco, roughly between Madeira Island and the Canary Islands. Deserta Grande Island is located about southeast of the eastern tip of Madeira Island, Ponta