Capitulation of the German Navy
Surrender of the German Fleet at Harwich 1919
When hostilities ceased on the 11th November 1918, it was arranged for the majority of the German U-boat fleet to surrender at Harwich, the major British submarine base. By the 18th April 1919, a total of 150 surrendered U-boats were moored in lines on the river Stour on the Essex-Suffolk border.
Some of the U-boats were then assigned to the French, US, Italian and Japanese navies. The remaining U-boats were then mostly sold for scrap and were towed to places as far apart as Bo,ness in Scotland and Swansea in Wales.
When hostilities ceased on the 11th November 1918, it was arranged for the majority of the German U-boat fleet to surrender at Harwich, the major British submarine base. By the 18th April 1919, a total of 150 surrendered U-boats were moored in lines on the river Stour on the Essex-Suffolk border.
Some of the U-boats were then assigned to the French, US, Italian and Japanese navies. The remaining U-boats were then mostly sold for scrap and were towed to places as far apart as Bo,ness in Scotland and Swansea in Wales.
The Official Postcard Set
The Abraham Cards
Coates Photography Cards
K.E. Owen Studio Cards
Unknown Publisher's Cards
Surrendered "U" Boats at Harwich. Nov 20th 1918 No 16.
On 20 November 1918 - nine days after Armistice Day - the first batch of U-boats crossed the North Sea to the British coast. They were met by a small flotilla of British warships led by Rear Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt, commanding officer of the Harwich fleet. In the following days, the U-boats and up to 50 other German vessels were escorted along the River Stour by British ships. Rear Admiral Tyrwhitt ruled there should be "no communication whatsoever" with the Germans, who were packed on to transport ships and sent home without being allowed to set foot on British soil. They vessels then moored, often four abreast, to be commandeered by the authorities. The fleet stretched for two miles (3km) down the river outside Parkeston Quay, Harwich.
This amazing site was to become one of the most unusual tourist’s attractions ever seen off the Essex coast, with the local Council deciding to mark the occasion with a commemorative china mug, as shown here and "signed off" by the then Mayor of Harwich Edward Saunders. Most of the U-boats - some of which were 100m (328ft) long - were put on display in places such as Brighton and Liverpool, while one was taken to Japan, but some were left on the beach and the estuary eventually became known as "U-boat Alley".