Pirate Boats at Westminster

A surrendered German U-boat travels up the Thames

Fear not, the Germans have not invaded Britain; the U-boat travelling up the Thames before mooring by the House of Commons is manned by a British crew. It was surrendered by the Germans to the British, along with the rest of the U-boat fleet, after the armistice in November 1918. The few tramlines visible in the picture do very little to diminish the impact of seeing this destroyer of so many lives at sea as spoils-of-war right at the heart of London.

It’s worth noting that in the distant background when the U-boat moors by House of Commons can be seen the old Lambeth bridge, the Lambeth Suspension Bridge.