In a noteworthy event during World War I, a British naval officer named Commander E.L. Rhoades commanded the gunboat Gwendolen on Lake Nyasa. He traversed the thirty miles from Nkata Bay to the German port of Sphinxhaven and engaged in battle, capturing the German gunboat Wissman. The German captain, Berndt, was unaware that war had begun between Britain and Germany at that time.

This surprising naval encounter, described as a 'Naval Victory on Lake Nyasa', was reported in The Times and highlights the unexpected conflicts that arose in various parts of the world during the war. Rhoades' actions exemplified how the war extended beyond the known battlegrounds into remote regions where local naval engagements could have significant implications.