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The German U-Boat fleet was a constant threat to both Royal Navy and merchant ships for much of World War One. In the late years of the conflict, they were seriously disrupting vital supplies being shipped in to the United Kingdom.

But one U-Boat - which would eventually end its days in Morecambe - played a devastating role much earlier in the first few weeks of the war in September 1914.
In less than an hour, the crew of U-9 had sunk three British battleships with the loss of nearly fifteen hundred lives.

HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue and HMS Cressey had been patrolling a southern stretch of the North Sea with the aim of preventing German ships entering the English Channel.
It's reported that the success of U9 meant the Admiralty now realised the severity of the U-Boat threat.

U-9's captain and crew were treated as heroes in Germany. The vessel itself was taken out of the front line in 1916, and used for training instead.

At the end of the war, she was brought to Morecambe to be broken up by Wards Shipbreakers. The last days of famous craft like U-9 were often witnessed by tourists to the seaside resort who paid an entrance fee to come and see them on what is now the Stone Jetty

Location: Marine Road East, Morecambe, Lancashire LA4 5AQ
Image: The infamous U9, courtesy of Newcastle University

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