How a WW1 German U-boat became a tourist attraction on a British beachfront

Laura Skitt 11th June 2024 at 9:40am

A metallic beast described at the time as a “helpless, yet sinister monster” caused a stir on Hastings beachfront in 1919 – but it wasn’t a living being capturing the attention of onlookers. 

It was U-118, a 267ft-long mine-laying U-boat of the Imperial Germany Navy that was stranded on its side on the sand in front of the Queen’s Hotel like a beached whale. 

After the First World War, two captured U-boats – U-118 and UB-121 – were being towed for scrapping through stormy weather by the French destroyer Francis Garnier from Harwich in Essex to Brest, the westernmost port of France. 

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In the early hours of 15 April 1919, U-118’s dragging hawser was damaged in the storm and the submarine broke free in the English Channel, leading to it stranding at high tide just yards away from Hastings’ beachfront houses. 

Commissioned on 8 May 1918, the U-boat was responsible for sinking the British steamer Wellington on 16 September 1918 and British tanker Arca on 2 October 1918. 

UB-121 was later found stranded at Birling Gap, a coastal hamlet found between Seven Sisters and Beachy Head. 

An illustration of where U-boat U-118 was washed ashore in 1919

Articles and images from the time show how following its abrupt arrival U-118 became a popular tourist attraction, with thousands of people from across the country visiting Hastings to see it during the Easter holidays. 

The Hastings and St Leonards Observer reported on the event on 19 May, saying: “The news soon spread and, on Tuesday morning, people on their way to business turned aside to look at the curiosity.

“It was then high and dry and a tour inspection was possible.

Locals and tourists visit U-118 in 1919 (Picture: Hastings Museum & Art Gallery)

“The wind was blowing very strongly and the sea was high. 

“As the morning advanced and the tide came in, the craft was buffeted tremendously. 

“The boat appeared a helpless yet sinister monster as it rolled in the surf only a few yards from the promenade at Harold Place. 

“There were thousands of spectators during the day.” 

Welcoming home the troops

News of the astonishing sight was also reported in newspapers such as the Dundee Evening Telegraph, the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Belfast Telegraph and the Western Mail.  

At that time, most people were not familiar with submarines, so the stranded U-boat became an intriguing and fascinating thing for many to see up close. 

Attempts to refloat it failed and it was too close to the public beach and Queen’s Hotel to break it up using explosives. 

The Admiralty gave the town permission to charge people for exploring the submarine to raise funds for a welcome home event for soldiers returning from the First World War. 

It was reported by the Hastings and St Leonards Observer on 10 May 1919 that £273 (£11,776 in 2024) had been raised for the welcome home fund.

Tragedy strikes 

For a couple of weeks, excited visitors to the U-boat were guided around the inside of the vessel by Chief Boatman William Heard and Chief Officer W Moore, two members of the coastguard. 

However, when these men became gravely ill, the visits were stopped at once. 

Authorities initially believed spending so much time in poorly ventilated areas containing the rotting food that remained on board was the cause of the men’s illness.

U-118 pictured on Hastings Beach in April 1919 (Picture: The History Collection / Alamy Stock Photo)

Tragically, Chief Officer Moore died in December 1919, while Chief Boatman Heard died in February 1920.

It was revealed at the inquest into their untimely deaths that a toxic gas released from the submarine’s damaged batteries had caused deadly abscesses on the men’s lungs and brains. 

What next for the submarine? 

When locals and visitors to Hastings could no longer enjoy a tour around the U-boat, some began to call for the vessel to be salvaged for profit.

Local resident H P White’s suggestion for the future of the U-boat was published in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer, saying: “Surely the Admiralty would have no objection to Hastings taking care of their old submarine and I do not think it beyond the range of possibility that it might be hauled further up the beach, put on an even keel, painted up and made a unique attraction to visitors.

“And if it were kept in decent repair a charge might be made for a visit to the interior and the funds devoted to the lifeboat or some similar society.”

The Hastings and St Leonards Observer reported on 17 May 1919 that a decision had been made about the fate of the stranded vessel, saying: “On the motion of Alderman Tree, it was agreed that the Town Clerk apply to the Admiralty to present to the town the gun of the German submarine which is to be sold and broken up.” 

Therefore, U-118’s impromptu visit to the seaside town of Hastings didn’t last long as, on 21 May 1919, the wreck was sold to James Dredging Co for £2,200 (£94,899 in 2024) and broken up on the beach. 

Part of a speaking tube from German U-boat U-118 (Picture: Hastings Museum & Art Gallery)

The deck gun was left behind but eventually removed in 1921. 

Although Hastings Council reportedly removed the keel in 1937, it is believed a portion of the ship’s keel is still buried deep beneath the sand. 

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery has in its archives a solid iron ballast block and part of a speaking tube from the U-boat is on display. 
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