U118?

[Terry]

I came across two videos showing a German submarine beached off Hastings. Despite the claim that these are seperate incidents that occured in 1914, I strongly suspect they both show U118 which broke away from the vessel towing it and beaced itself off Denmark Place in April 1919.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=77990

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=77477

Sorry if I've put them in the wrong place.

There are also a number of other videos relating to Hastings and St Leonards on this site.

[Anonymous1]

Again, interesting links.

Some coastguards where injured and eventually died because of chlorine gas created by the batteries onboard U118.

more info:-

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?138132

[Terry]

Interestingly some sources say this sub was refloated and towed away, but this video and another picture somewhere on the internet (but I don't have any record of where), clearly show that it was cut up on site. Apparently there was another washed ashore near Bultherhythe (U131), perhaps that is what causes the confusion, but I have no information about that boat's fate.

[Paddy]

Hi,
The best site for all things nautical is www.worldnavalships.com.
You will find me and hundreds like me there.
I have introduced this thread there as there are submarine and Uboat specialists among us.
The following has been offered and it is ongoing.

Paddy.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-118.
SM U-118 washed ashore at Hastings, Sussex.
Career (Kaiserliche Marine)
Class and type: Submarine
Name: U-118
Ordered: 27 May 1916
Builder: AG Vulcan Stettin
Launched: 23 February 1918
Commissioned: 8 May 1918
Homeport: Hamburg
Fate: Surrendered on 23 February 1919. Would have been transferred to France, but the tow cable snapped during her voyage to France and she went aground off Hastings on 15 April 1919. She was later broken up.
General characteristics
Type: Type UE II minelayer submarine
Displacement: 1,164 long tons (1,183 t) surfaced1,512 long tons (1,536 t) submerged
Length: 81.5 m (267 ft) o/a
Beam: 7.42 m (24.3 ft)
Draught: 4.22 m (13.8 ft)
Propulsion: 2 shafts2 diesel engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW)2 electric motors, 600 hp (447 kW)
Speed: 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) surfaced7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged
Range: 12,500 mi (20,100 km) at 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced53 mi (85 km) at 4.5 kn (8.3 km/h; 5.2 mph) submerged
Test depth: 75 m (246 ft)
Complement: 4 officers36 crew
Armament: 4 50 cm (19.7 in) internal bow torpedo tubes 2 internal stern tubes 1 88 mm and 1 105 mm deck gun 42 mines
SM U-118 was a type UE II mine laying submarine of the Imperial German Navy and one of 329 submarines serving with that navy during World War I. U-118 engaged in naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.[1]
Contents[hide] 1 Career 2 Beaching at Hastings 3 Gallery 4 References
[edit] Career
SM U-118 was commissioned on 8 May 1918, following construction at the AG Vulcan Stettin shipyard in Hamburg. It was commanded by Herbert Stohwasser and joined the I Flotilla operating in the eastern Atlantic. After about four months without any ships sunk, on 16 September 1918, SM U-118 scored its first hit on another naval vessel. About 175 miles (282 km) north-west of Cape Villano, U-118 torpedoed and sank the British steamer Wellington. Early the following month on 2 October 1918, U-118 sank its second and last ship, the British tanker Arca at about 40 miles (64 km) north-west of Tory Island.[2] With the ending of hostilities on 11 November 1918 came the subsequent surrender of the Imperial German Navy, including SM U-118 to France on 23 February 1919.[3]
[edit] Beaching at Hastings
Following surrender U-118 was to be transferred to France where it would be broken up for scrap. However, in the early hours of 15 April 1919, while it was being towed through the English Channel towards Scapa Flow, its dragging hawser broke off in a storm. The ship ran aground on the beach at Hastings in Sussex at approximately 12:45am, directly in front of the Queens Hotel.
Initially there were attempts to displace the stricken vessel; three tractors tried to refloat the submarine and a French destroyer attempted to break the ship apart using its cannons.[3] These attempts however were unsuccessful and the proximity of the submarine to the public beach and Queens Hotel dissuaded further use of explosive forces.
The wreck of the submarine immediately became a popular tourist attraction with thousands of visitors to Hastings that Easter flocking to see the beached vessel. The vessel was put in charge of the local coastguard station and the Admiralty allowed the Town Clerk of Hastings to charge a small fee for people to climb on the deck of the submarine. This continued for two weeks, during which time the town collected almost GBP300 which helped fund an event to welcome the town's troops returning from the war.[3]
Two members of the coastguard, chief boatman William Heard and chief officer W. Moore, were tasked with showing important visitors around inside the submarine. The visits however were curtailed at the end of April when both men became severely ill. It was thought that rotten foodstuffs in the submarine were causing the problems however, despite the visits being discontinued, the illnesses continued and got worse. Moore died in December 1919 and Heard followed in February 1920. At his inquest it was heard that a noxious gas, possibly chlorine released from the submarine's damaged batteries, had caused abscesses on the lungs and brain of the dead man.[3][4]
Even after visits inside the submarine had been stopped it remained common for tourists to take pictures of themselves standing alongside or even on the deck of the U-boat.[5] Eventually, between October and December 1919, U-118 was broken up and the pieces removed and sold for scrap.[6] The gun was left in place but later dug up in 1921. It is believed that some of the keel from the submarine may still lie underneath the sand of the beach.[7]
[edit] Gallery

A postcard showing SM U-118 washed ashore.

SM U-118 shortly after being beached at Hastings.

Ground view of SM U-118 in front of the Queen's hotel.

SM U-118 crowded with tourists.

Aerial view of SM U-118 in front of the Queen's hotel.

SM U-118 being dismantled.
[edit] References
1. ^ "U-118". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=118. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
2. ^ "Ships hit by U-118". http://www.uboat.net/wwi/boats/successes/u118.html. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
3. ^ a b c d "U-118". http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?138132. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
4. ^ "Submarines in tow". http://www.twsac.org/17.html. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
5. ^ "U-boats". http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/u-boats.htm. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
6. ^ "German Submarine U-118". http://www.hastingschoice.co.uk/HASTING ... istory.htm. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
7. ^ "Key events 1900 - 1949". http://www.hastingschronicle.co.uk/. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
[hide]v d eGerman Type UE II submarines

U-117 U-118 U-119 U-120 U-122 U-123 U-124 U-125 U-126

Preceded by: Type UE I Followed by: NoneList of German U-boats

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_U-118"
Categories: Type UE II U-boats | Ships built in Hamburg | 1918 ships | U-boats commissioned in 1918 | World War I submarines of Germany

[Geoff]

[quoted]
Terry wrote:
Apparently there was another washed ashore near Bultherhythe (U131), perhaps that is what causes the confusion, but I have no information about that boat's fate.
[/quoted]


Hi Terry, this is interesting. I didn't know there was another uboat washed ashore locally. Are you sure it was U131 as all reports I can find say that one was attacked and sunk at Madiera.

[Anonymous1]

The WW1 numbers were re-used for WW2

WW1 UB 131 link:

http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+131

[Geoff]

Excellent, thanks GK. Searching for UB131 rather than U131 has proven much more successful.

It sounds like the two were being mixed up as U118 was clearly being dismantled in Hastings in the videos. Looks like i've got to alter my history page as I was lead to believe it was then towed to Brest and broken up during July 1921.

Here's a photo of UB131 at Bulverhythe if anyone is interested_ _ _


[img://www.hastingsforum.co.uk/forums/sf_attachments/U131_bulverhythe.jpg]