Capture of the German U-Boat U.C.5
German U-Boat U.C.5 in Harwich Harbour
The ill-fated U.C.5, a member of the Flanders Flotilla, ran aground on Shipwash Sand on 27 April 1916. Unable to re-float his boat, the Commander, K/Lt Mohrbutter destroyed his logs, war diary, signal books and navigation charts, then tried to blow up the boat with demolition charges. These failed to destroy the boat however, and after inflicting as much damage as possible to the boat’s mechanical systems and radio with pistol shots and spanner blows, the crew abandoned ship when the Destroyer HMS. Firedrake appeared on the scene. With the crew rescued, the boat was re-floated, towed to Harwich, dry docked and examined by Royal Navy engineers, submariners and intelligence specialists. Subsequently, the U.C.5 was repaired to the extent necessary to travel around the U.K. as a fund-raising attraction and it eventually journeyed to the United States for a war bond tour. The last known photograph was taken in the U.S., and the boat presumably found its way into an American scrap yard.
The ill-fated U.C.5, a member of the Flanders Flotilla, ran aground on Shipwash Sand on 27 April 1916. Unable to re-float his boat, the Commander, K/Lt Mohrbutter destroyed his logs, war diary, signal books and navigation charts, then tried to blow up the boat with demolition charges. These failed to destroy the boat however, and after inflicting as much damage as possible to the boat’s mechanical systems and radio with pistol shots and spanner blows, the crew abandoned ship when the Destroyer HMS. Firedrake appeared on the scene. With the crew rescued, the boat was re-floated, towed to Harwich, dry docked and examined by Royal Navy engineers, submariners and intelligence specialists. Subsequently, the U.C.5 was repaired to the extent necessary to travel around the U.K. as a fund-raising attraction and it eventually journeyed to the United States for a war bond tour. The last known photograph was taken in the U.S., and the boat presumably found its way into an American scrap yard.