Beached U-Boat, Kent.

February 2025 · 2 min read · Upper Stoke

Hello fellow Hiveans!

We've had some gritty weather recently, so I took advantage of one perfectly still and clear day to head to this unique location!

Found in the River Medway in Kent, this bucket list location of mine is a wreck that is subject to many theories as to which U-Boat it is.

This vessel was one of many that were surrendered to the allies after the Great War. Based on shipping logs- story goes that whilst being towed to Britain for scrapping, this one and a couple of others came loose and drifted ashore.

Apparently the other two are wrecked close by (which I was unaware of at the time) but this one has the most complete hull and is easy to find. I wonder if the logistics of a recovery effort to bring it back would have outweighed the cost of scrap prices?

One method to get there is to follow a long pier out into the river but I chose to head out between two 'islands' to find it.
I was flying reasonably high up to begin with to get my bearings, so I couldn't really see it. Then the sunlight caught on some of the features and I had a little giggle to myself when I saw it!

Flying around it with such freedom was amazing and there is so much to discover here.

There is a little planning involved- It is most visible at low tide so looking at tide times and making sure the coastal weather is on your side is a must!

I don't really feel like it's a one and done location either, there are so many interesting angles to cover. I just ran out of time based on the tide and for other points of interest in the area. I would definitely go back if I'm over that way again.