The Stranding of German U‑boat UB‑131 at Hastings, 1921
On 9 January 1921, the German submarine UB‑131, a Type UB III coastal attack boat, unexpectedly washed ashore at Bulverhythe, near Hastings, East Sussex. The submarine, built by AG Weser in Bremen and launched in June 1918, had seen no combat during the First World War. She was surrendered to the Allies in November 1918, following the Armistice, and was en route from Harwich to Falmouth, likely destined for scrapping or explosive trials.
Caught in a storm and heavy fog, UB‑131 broke free from her tow and was driven ashore. Unlike other wartime wrecks that captured public imagination, UB‑131’s grounding attracted relatively little attention, and the vessel was quickly sold and dismantled locally.
UB‑III class submarines like UB‑131 were 55.8 metres long, carried ten torpedoes, and had a deck gun, typically operated by a crew of around 34 men. Although UB‑131 never fired a shot in anger, her brief final appearance at Hastings stands as a tangible reminder of the post-war fate of Germany’s surrendered U‑boats and the challenges of handling these vessels in peacetime.
