The people of Hastings on the southeast shore of England woke up on the morning of April 15, 1919, and they were in for a big surprise. A German U-118 submarine had run aground on the picturesque beach in front of the grand Queens Hotel. No, Hastings was not under attack by the Germans. World War I had ended five months earlier, on November 11, 1918.
Imagine waking up to find a German submarine on your local beach? (rarehistoricalphotos.com)
The German U-118 submarine was unoccupied. The residents of Hastings soon learned that sub was being towed from Harwich, about 85 miles east of London, to Brest in France when a storm arose. The sub broke free of its tether and beached itself on the Hasting shore. The people of Hastings spied an opportunity to capitalize on the unexpected visitor…with deadly results.
A Stranded Submarine
The German sub ran aground in front of the Queens Hotel. (thevintagenews.com)
At first, the authorities sought to free the 267-feet long submarine from the sand. They attached tow lines and tried to pull it into the water with three tractors, but these efforts failed. Authorities floated the idea of having a French destroyer that was in the area shoot its torpedoes at the submarine to break it into smaller chunks that would be easier to remove. The submarine, however, was directly in front of the Queens Hotel. If the destroyer fired upon the sub, it may also strike the hotel. Another plan was needed.
Capitalizing on the Sub
Hastings raised a lot of money in just a few weeks by charging visitors to climb aboard the deck of the sub. (rarehistoricalphotos.com)
The town clerk of Hastings suggested that they open the submarine for tourists and charge a fee to board the vessel. After all, people were flocking to the beach to see the enormous German sub. Officials in the Royal Navy agreed. For about two weeks, the sub was open as a tourist attraction. So many visitors came that the town of Hastings collected the equivalent of about $20,000 USD. The money was used to help Hastings’ soldiers returning from war.
Tour Guides
The sub was being towed to France when it ran aground in Hastings. (rarehistoricalphotos.com)
The majority of the visitors to the sub could only afford the fee to tour the deck of the vessel. Wealthier and more prominent guests were given thorough tours of the sub’s interior. Chief boatman William Heard and chief officer W. Moore of the Royal Coast Guard were assigned to serve as tour guides. Their job, however, was tragically short lived.
A Mysterious Illness
Tourists flocked to Hastings to see the German sub. (rarehistoricalphotos.com)
By the end of April, both Heard and Moore fell gravely ill. Their conditions worsened to the point that they could no longer work. In fact, Heard and Moore grew sicker and sicker, but doctors could not figure out why. An investigation was launched into the mysterious illness. At first, it was speculated that the rotting food left on the German sub was the culprit. Further investigation, however, showed that the damaged batteries on the submarine were leaking toxic gases into the hold of the vessel. Chlorine fumes caused abscesses and lesions to form in the men’s lungs and brains. Ultimately, both men died from the mysterious illness. That prompted officials to halt the sub tours in Hastings.
Removing the Sub
The sub was eventually dismantled and removed from the beach. (thevintagenews.com)
Even though no one was allowed aboard the beached German sub, people still came to Hastings to see it. Although this happened long before Instagram and other forms of social media, people wanted to have their pics taken standing next to the sub. Still, the people of Hasting wanted the vessel removed from their beach. In 1921, the British Royal Navy sold the wreckage to the James Dredging Company. They cut the sub into pieces and removed them. The deck gun was left on the beach for visiting tourists to see. It, too, was removed within a year. According to local lore, the ship’s keel is still buried under the sand of the beach somewhere in front of the Queens Hotel.
