WW1 Submarine in the Medway

xyachtdave

xyachtdave

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I thought I knew our local waters but while at a party a couple of weeks ago someone mentioned a submarine. I assumed he meant the one by Rochester bridge but apparently there was another older one laying near Stoke Creek.

With 1.9m needed to float this part of the river isn't on our normal cruising ground.

I asked around at the yacht club and nearly everyone has been on it or seen it on the telly, Xyachtdave - always the last to know :-(

Well we found it just before HW today, picture below for those in the dark like us....

7a3cb745970337e076319e5a06442717.jpg
 
Maybe it's because I don't have a TV!

Seems there is interesting stuff on it after all....maybe I'm missing out again....
 
xyachtdave said:
Maybe it's because I don't have a TV!

Seems there is interesting stuff on it after all....maybe I'm missing out again....[/QUOT
I have never heard or seen anything about this before and when you said there is something interesting on it, I thought you meant the sub. Xyachtdave if you have a way of living that can avoid the TV stay with it, I have winter TV brain rot. I would never want a television on my boat.
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It's common local knowledge round here, and there's been a lot on t'internet about it over the years and more on telly recently when there was a surge of interest and talk of 'restoration'.
It's a German sub that was one of a batch moored on the Medway at the end of WWI. For some reason it got left behind when the rest went presumably for scrap.
 
Photo was taken yesterday at HW. We anchored by the small green buoy between #13 and the Bulwark buoys which I think marks the entrance to Stoke Creek. I think mid tide on the rise would be the best bet. Quite a bit of it was just submerged.

It's not that easy to find if you don't know where to look, 20 minutes of bombing about in the dinghy with binoculars found it, on the left 3/4 of the way in quite close to the Bee Ness jetty.

The rusty old bugger appears to have got the better of our rib though!
 
Cantata said:
It shows up nicely on Google Earth. 51deg 25'.813N 000deg 37'.862E
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Thanks, the chap at the party showed me this on his computer but I didn't think I'd need the lat and long as it looked enormous! Would have made life easier! He's got a sea kayak and wants to paddle up there from the Strand.

Another photo below taken bang on HW as we left.

f48f63b07bc1020f3c09ef2db47a1530.jpg
 
xyachtdave said:
Photo was taken yesterday at HW. We anchored by the small green buoy between #13 and the Bulwark buoys which I think marks the entrance to Stoke Creek. I think mid tide on the rise would be the best bet. Quite a bit of it was just submerged.
Click to expand...

I've been up Stoke Creek, and decided that this was probably the most convenient place to anchor, but am nervous about the state of the bottom. Also I wasn't sure if it was used (at the time the power station was active). Would it be better to anchor the other side of Bulwark, a bit further down perhaps so that the water is still smooth? I will take canoes, so don't want to be too far away.

Surprised you can see it at HW as often looked from the river. Perhaps the muddy lump in front of it hides it, and if the tide is particularly high then it is all underwater anyhow.
 
oldgit said:
There are actually three in the area. !
The engine of one of them ended up in Strood powering a generator.
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I didn't know about those other two!
They show up well if they are what I'm looking at on Google Earth in Slede Creek. 51deg 25'.419N 000deg 37'.609E.
 
Cantata said:
I didn't know about those other two!
They show up well if they are what I'm looking at on Google Earth in Slede Creek. 51deg 25'.419N 000deg 37'.609E.
Click to expand...

Virtual pint to the first forum member to post a picture standing on one of the other 2?!
 
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