The Surrender of Germany’s U‑boat Fleet – 1918–1919

End of the First World War

At the conclusion of the First World War, the Armistice signed on 11 November 1918 at Compiègne, France, required that Germany’s entire U‑boat fleet be surrendered to the Allied Powers, with no possibility of return to service. This marked the end of one of the most formidable naval campaigns in history, as the once‑feared submarines that had prowled the Atlantic and North Sea were handed over to Allied control.

U-boats at Swansea Docks 
Coloured by AI

U‑boats Surrendered and Broken Up at Swansea

Several of these surrendered submarines were later brought to Swansea, where they were dismantled and scrapped during 1919. The following list records the principal U‑boats surrendered, together with their construction details, operational history, and ultimate fate.

List of U‑boats Scrapped at Swansea (1918–1919)

U‑boat	Shipyard	Launched	Commissioned	Class / Type	Patrols	Ships Sunk (Tons)	Ships Damaged (Tons)	Fate / Date of Surrender
U‑107	Germaniawerft, Kiel	28 Jun 1917	18 Aug 1917	Type U‑93	5	6 ships – 24,663 tons	1 ship – 1,084 tons	20 Nov 1918
U‑43	Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig	26 Sep 1914	30 Apr 1915	Type U‑43	11	45 ships – 114,323 tons; 2 prizes – 356 tons	—	20 Nov 1918
U‑52	Germaniawerft, Kiel	8 Dec 1915	16 Mar 1916	Type U‑51	4	29 ships – 70,535 tons; 3 warships – 18,471 tons	4 ships – 12,457 tons; 1 warship – 1,250 tons	21 Nov 1918
UB‑132	AG Weser, Bremen	22 Jun 1918	25 Jul 1918	Large MS	—	—	—	21 Nov 1918
UB‑62	AG Weser, Bremen	2 Aug 1916	30 Dec 1916	Type U‑57	7	8 ships – 17,226 tons	1 ship – 7,300 tons	21 Nov 1918
U‑164	Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack	7 Aug 1918	17 Oct 1918	Type U‑93	—	—	—	22 Nov 1918
U‑24	Germaniawerft, Kiel	24 May 1913	6 Dec 1913	Type U‑23	7	34 ships – 106,122 tons; 1 warship – 15,000 tons; 1 prize – 1,925 tons	3 ships – 14,318 tons	22 Nov 1918
U‑105	Germaniawerft, Kiel	16 May 1917	4 Jul 1917	Type U‑93	—	—	—	22 Nov 1918
UB‑120	AG Weser, Bremen	23 Feb 1918	23 Mar 1918	Type UB‑III	2	1 ship – 145 tons	—	24 Nov 1918
UB‑67	Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel	16 Jul 1917	23 Aug 1917	Type UB‑III	3	1 ship – 13,936 tons; 1 warship – 810 tons	—	24 Nov 1918
UB‑79	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg	3 Jun 1917	27 Oct 1917	Type UB‑III	—	—	—	26 Nov 1918
U‑100	AG Weser, Bremen	25 Feb 1917	16 Apr 1917	Type U‑57	8	10 ships – 34,505 tons	2 ships – 5,272 tons	27 Nov 1918
U‑124	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg	28 Mar 1918	12 Jul 1918	Type UE‑II	—	—	—	1 Dec 1918
U‑53	Germaniawerft, Kiel	17 Mar 1915	22 Apr 1916	Type U‑51	13	87 ships – 224,314 tons; 1 warship – 1,050 tons	10 ships – 46,339 tons	1 Dec 1918
U‑80	AG Vulkan, Hamburg	22 Apr 1916	6 Jun 1916	Type UE‑I	17	25 ships – 48,880 tons; 1 warship – 1,025 tons	4 ships – 35,608 tons	16 Jan 1919
UB‑49	Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig	26 Nov 1915	31 May 1916	Type U‑43	8	40 ships – 72,860 tons	7 ships – 31,556 tons	16 Jan 1919
UB‑50	Kaiserliche Werft, Danzig	31 Dec 1915	4 Jul 1916	Type U‑43	7	39 ships – 98,071 tons; 1 warship – 16,350 tons	7 ships – 25,172 tons	16 Jan 1919
UB‑51	Germaniawerft, Kiel	19 Dec 1914	25 Nov 1915	Type U‑51	6	19 ships – 47,791 tons	1 ship – 3,905 tons	16 Jan 1919
UB‑77	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg	5 May 1917	2 Oct 1917	Type UB‑III	7	1 ship – 14,348 tons	2 ships – 28,174 tons	16 Jan 1919

Aftermath

By 1919, these submarines had been dismantled at Swansea’s dockyards, marking the end of Germany’s wartime U‑boat fleet. Their remains symbolised both the technological prowess and the destructive legacy of submarine warfare — a chapter closed beneath the cranes and smoke of post‑war South Wales industry.