A fish out of water - U-118 on Hastings beach

[John]

Constructed at the AG Vulcan Stettin shipyard, Hamburg and commissioned on 8 May 1918, this German U-Boat joined the I Flotilla operating in the eastern Atlantic. In its short career before the Armistice later that year, U-118 sank two vessels. Following the end of the war, whilst being towed through the Channel on the way to disposal in April 1919, U-118 parted company with its tow and ran aground at Hastings on the 15th April at approximately 12:45am, directly in front of the Queens Hotel. The huge submarine almost immediately became a popular tourist attraction, with thousands of visitors to Hastings flocking to see the beached vessel and to have their photographs taken alongside or onboard. The Town Clerk of Hastings charged a fee for people to climb on, and this popular pastime continued for two weeks and raised approximately £300.

U-118 was broken up between October and December 1919, and the pieces removed and sold for scrap. The gun was placed as a memento on the beach until it was buried in shingle during a storm, and wasn't recovered until 1921. Unfortunately it was later sold for scrap. It is thought by some that parts of the keel of U-118 may still lie underneath the sand of the beach, awaiting discovery by some startled metal detectorist. I wonder...

[Pete]

If that is the pier by her bows then it is reversed, as the pier would be to the left  on the aerial shot

[John]

Another postcard showing U-118 ashore at Hastings.

[alkhamhills]

according to Wikipedia, two Coastguard members were tasked with taking important guests around the inside of the sub. They both became ill, and the visits stopped. However their illness got worse and they died (Dec 1919 and Feb 1920). Believed that escaping chlorine gas affected the lungs and brain. They were chief boatman William Heard and Chief officer W Moore.   Believe sub taken to Brest in July 1921 for breaking up