Schnellboot S130. This is the story of S-130, the last surviving German E-Boat from WWII…
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- Statement from Kevin Wheatcroft
Since a young boy, I’ve had a fascination with S-boats and had always kept my eyes open and followed leads and stories to try and track one down. I then became aware of the story surrounding the survival of S130, her own history is an amazing read in its own right. One of the longest surviving naval craft in continuous use, her involvement in Exercise Tiger, involvement in D-Day itself and then ending the war with dignity running mercy missions to bring back women, children and the wounded from the East, her then involvement with the Royal Navy eventually being handed over to MI5 as a spy boat, her being used for the testing and the development of various engines including the legendary Napier Deltic diesel, her eventually being given back to the newly formed West German Navy as their first ever fast patrol boat.
Then, with old age, she was pensioned off as a houseboat, sunk in shallow waters (twice!), and then being rescued by the British Military Power Boat Trust before being acquired by The Wheatcroft Collection. Then followed a 10-year search to find original engines, propellers, armoured bridge, multiple gun platforms, torpedo tubes, torpedoes, sea mines, depth charges. As well as a huge array of below decks equipment, radios, ships galley equipment, binoculars, small arms, helmets, life preserves etc etc. She was eventually pulled out of the water in 2009 where she was stripped of all her post war modifications, her planking partially stripped to assess the condition of the hull. We then constructed and fitted a new keel and purchased all the necessary materials for the future restoration. The next episode in her career before restoration commenced, was to find her a permanent home. Considering we live on an island, the UK had very few dry docks on offer. We eventually tracked one down and after prolonged negotiations, we purchased Richmond Dock at Appledore in Devon. Following its successful purchase, a four-year operation with the local authorities, the Environment Agency, the Crown, and a huge investment in drawings and visuals, we are now in a position (hopefully having satisfied all of the above authority’s questions), to submit for planning permission. I’ve no idea how long this process will take, but on the assumption that we get planning, which indications show we will, we then embark on the restoration of the dry dock and construction of S130’s new permanent home. It is then intended, when we have our completion date for the docks build process, is to immediately start the restoration of S130 herself. The plan being, that both the dock and the boat taking about the same period of time to complete. S130, once having completed her sea trials, will come home to her permanent residence. It is then intended to have general public open days and private bookings to view.
We will then set up a crew and she will be available for private charter giving everybody the opportunity to step aboard and live life as a German sailor would have done in S130’s heyday. A number of voyages have already been planned, such as a mass poppy drop at the exact location of the wreckage of what remains of Exercise Tiger.
She will then return to the site of Schlichting motor vessel works, as a tribute to the families of those who built her. She will then return to her former wartime home of Cherbourg and La Rochelle. All these opportunities will be made available to those who share the same passion.
To date The Wheatcroft Collection has invested over £3.5m, with a further £1.8m earmarked for construction work. We are now offering the opportunity for people to become involved in the next chapter of this exciting journey by joining S130’s fund raising subscription platform which is due to be launched in 6 weeks.
Your involvement will enable the boat to be rebuilt. We intend to match fund every penny raised, this will form a trust fund enabling S130 to live on beyond me as a revenue earning historic craft for generations to come.
THIS VIDEO AND CONTENTS…
Kevin Wheatcroft©️2024 and
#TheWheatcroftCollection©️2024
Hosted by #Ceevisk on behalf of #ExerciseTigerMemorial.Co.UK
and Laurie Bolton - Administrator@
www.exercisetigermemorial.co.uk/
The attached video was made by our friends at Wargaming / / worldofwarships . We would also like to thank our media partners at NavalHistoria and MilitaryHistoria. Enjoy.
Thanks for following and see you Tuesday, Kevin, Alex, Bismarck and the team.
When I stumbled onto this YT video, I couldn't believe it. My dad was the radio operator on S20 in July 1940 under ObLtn Goetz Freiherr von Mirbach. My dad passed away only a few years ago. His memoires brought me close to his time as a very young soldier. I must come to Devon and step onto this S boat. It's not that easy since I live in Australia and I am now a pensioner. But I shall find a way to stand in the place where my dad stood all these years ago. Made me super emotional. Now that I'm 72 yo time is of the essence. Good job Kevin.
I wish you all the very best of luck in your quest
@@buonafortuna8928 you are very kind
Wow, von Mirbach even has a wikipedia page: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6tz_Freiherr_von_Mirbach
G'day to you my Friend ,sounds like you and I have the same problem, I live in West Aust. and am now 74, I too would love to visit this amazing Ship, I had a Airfix Model of one 50 odd years ago, nice to meet a Fellow Aussie!
I truly hope you achieve your emotional dream ,to get on that craft ...❤
As a former E-4 of the German Navy who served between 1995-97 on an Albatros-class boat (S-65 Sperber/P6115), I remember vividly all the pictures with these old S-boats lining the offices of the buildings in Rostock, Warnemünde , where the 2nd squadron was stationed. I never knew that they were so rare nowadays. Thanks for the video.
Thank goodness there are dedicated, passionate people who preserve history!
yes to that ,but nut at any cost... he stole alot of those metal parts from the 3 boats we have here on the seabed in lunkebugten. it is proberty of DENMARK and NOT some UK bandit
@@timandersen8916 Did you not hear him say he was given permission to take whatever he needed. That doesn't make him a Bandit at all and which would you prefer, to leave them on the Seabed to eventually rust away, or see them back on the surface and at sea so future generations can enjoy them and learn about their history.
@@stephensmith4480 learn about history!! yea i know about the history of those boats , my dad saw what they did at the kapitulation, beffore they scutteled the boats in lunkebugten, my family is from Troense. and that has nothing to do with a local millionære in UK
@@timandersen8916 Maybe not but the point is he was Given permission by YOUR GOVERNMENT so it doesn't make him a Bandit, so wind your Neck in.
@@stephensmith4480 NO NOT the government, he said the ROYAL FAMILY, and we dont live in 1635 ,were the king could do what he wanted, we live in a democracy ,and the Royal family have NO right at all to take decissions on what to do, with the cultural herritage of DENMARK, they are just the most expensive realityshow in the world
My Great Grandfather was sunk by S-142 in January 1944. SS Emerald was hit by torpedo and sank in 15sec. My Great Grandfather deep in the belly of the boat stoking the engine fire would have had little chance of escape. I would love to see S-130 restored to its former glory. Looking forward to following this journey.
RIP brave seaman. Lest we Forget. 🫡🕊️🇬🇧🇦🇺🦘
I am so sorry for your great grandfather and your Family.
Best regards from Germany
The unsung heroes of the Merchant Navies.
@@PalleRasmussen I only found this out last year. I have managed to source copies of the blueprint drawings of SS Emerald. So humbling to see the area where my Great Grandfather would have ate, slept and grafted at sea. No ill will to the German sailors at all.
It's wonderful that someone like Mr Wheatcroft has such passion for restoring things of so much historical importance. I would love to see his collection.
the Danish Royal family can NOT give permision to steal parts from danish cultural herritage!
@@timandersen8916 what a strange comment and unpleasant attitude. It should be obvious to anyone who has watched this video that this gentleman it helping preserve this important item. It was stated that the vessels were scuttled at the war's end and in any case they are not, in any way, part of Denmark's heritage.
@@evilgoogleevilgoogle3855 ok so if you live in USA and i travel there and dig up old indian treasures ,its ok for me to keep and take with me to Denmark. coz its not the usa herritage ,its the ones usa all killed in the past, so nobody needs it
My dad spent the whole war in Coastal Forces in MTBs and MGBs and one of his jobs was to capture an E Boat, because the Admiralty knew they had a secret to speed, the Germans wanted to keep it secret so they had a self destruction charge in the stern to remove the Lurssen Effect rudders, which is why there are really not any about now. My Dad didn't find an intact boat until mid 44 and by then it didn't matter.
Thank you for saving the last one. Absolutely amazing. Good luck from New Zealand.
My cousin George swore he saw 3 of these in
Vietnam during his time there in 1967 & 68.
He had hand built a model of one, a year or so,
before he was drafted.
And George was NO liar.
He believed the East Germans had gifted them
to the Russians, or even Chinese who passed them
on to the Vietnamese, just like they did with WWII
pistols, long guns, and ammo. He even sent home
an MG-42 he found after the Tet offensive in 68.
My Uncle's favorite Christmas present ever!
Wow! The last surviving S-boat is going to be restored to its original self! I'm 68 and grew up building models of ships, planes, tanks etc. We could talk about most of the famous battles which took place. It's truly sad that so much military history has been forgotten in our schools. The first years of World War II were dark ones indeed, as Germany and Japan initially swept every country they invaded and inflicted humiliating defeats on just about everybody. We should never forget our history. Thanks to Mr. Wheatcroft and everyone involved in bringing S-130 back to life again.
Very informative. S-112 was a vessel involved in the Granville Raids of February and March of 1945. My Grandfather was unfortunately killed in the raid on 9 March, 1945. S-112 was one of the vessels which penetrated the outer harbor on that night. She was a sister ship of S-130.
Another unsung hero of the Merchant Navies. They made the fighting possible.
@@PalleRasmussen Thanks Sir, but he was actually a US Navy sailor aboard Patrol Craft 564, a small all steel subchaser Unfortunately she tangled with three German Artillery Prams and was badly damaged and forced to with draw. This occurred just south of the Isle De Chausey off Granville. He and 11 others sailors were killed with about 15 wounded out of a crew of 65. I did a presentation about it on OTD Military History channel if you want to learn more.
My Father was on a DE ( 321 ) in the Mediterranean during WWII. He'd told me the E-Boats were quite a problem, for their size they were Giant Killers.
We had over 11 years owning a hdml 82’ motor launch and I had the pleasure of changing the original pistons and heads ,it had twin Buda diesels, specifically chosen because of their low noise signature.i had to teach my self how to control everything as it was performed in 1943 and operating a ww2 small warship as per the army manuals . I can so relate to the quest to save this unique ship. May the restoration go to plan and thank you so much for the look into the past.
I was in the US Army in 1975. In a transportation unit. It was full of LCM-8s
I was on what's called a small tug ( ST)
ST-2154 we had a BUDA 200 HP as the main engine. 😊
I first saw this boat on "Combat Dealers" a few years ago.
They found a bottle of Becks beer unopened in the hull - something to do with good luck or something. I hope Kevin kept it and puts it back as it seems to have worked with this boat being restored.
Fascinating stuff from an engineering point of view too.
Kevin Wheatcroft was very helpful when i needed dimensions for a Panzer 2 F storage bin for a project i undertook. He is undoubtebly a busy man but he took the time to provide me with photos and dimensions. I've been following this project for years and i can't wait to see Schnellboot S130 back in the water and fully running again, hopefully in the next 10 years?
I've known Kevin quite a long time now, and Tom, Kevin's late father.
True gentleman.
I recollect many times at Donnington talking about the war, the cars were a blurr in the background.
My best award for my military vehicle at The War and Peace Show is from Tom as the honorary judge.
Good days.
Amazing!. It's so heart warming to hear of someone, with the wherewithal, who cares about engineering history, it's all of ours. Glad to hear of it being saved so we can all look back. Thank you Kevin.
Blown away my friend .. luvd making the model of the boat as a 9 year old .. 50 years later and I finally get to see a real one … many thanks and the best of luck with the restoration.. 👍🏻😎
Thank God this piece of history hasn't been erased. It's critically important to save every instrument of war that can be saved so that future generations can look, touch and learn about every facet of the wars that have been fought. No matter what side the hardware fought for.
Good luck with your restoration of Fraulein S-130.
Fantastic machine and a credit to the engineers who built and sailed them. Fabulous piece of history.
that's incredible. I don't have words other than just incredible. I didn't think there were any left.
So excited to hear what is happening to S-130. I can't wait till she's finished so I can see her myself. Great stories of how the parts were found. I wish Kevin and his team all the best in bringing her back to life
I remembered following the early renovations on the S130 website in 2016 but shortly after that, everything seemed to stop, but now i know why.
It’s good to hear of what has been going on in the background & the plans for the future.
One day, it’ll be nice to see her back in the water where she belongs.
All the best for the future. 👍
There was one of these on the hard known as the Mini Playa just South of the harbour in Altea Spain , simply sitting there abandoned . It was there throughout the 80s and an enquiry with the Club Nautico right next door might disclose its whereabouts or details of its demise . Absolutely stunning lines for such a cruel vessel .
My Father went in through Normandy, Cpt. REME, R.I.P.
Keep up the Good work, Thank you Kevin and your team.
I cannot wait for when the S130 and the Appledore museum open to the public. My great grandfather had his boat built from appledore.
she's not only the only surviving E-boat, she's also the only surviving Kreigsmarine surface vessel.
Thats a shame
There are still a number of KfKs (Kriegsfischkutter) floating around.
Not necessarily, there is at least one R-boat left and all but one of the Kreigsmarines training tall ships survive (one of which, the former Horst Wessel, is now the training ship for the US Coast Guard). I’d also give credit to the minelayer Kiebitz, which eventually became the training ship and yacht Galeb and is currently under restoration, but she was originally built for the Regina Marina as the armed merchant cruiser Ramb III
@@sirboomsalot4902 I thought Horst Wessel was a Kaisarmarine ship?
@@themanformerlyknownascomme777And that was probably an earlier similar vessel.
Great video classic German marine building these boats were iconic adversaries in their day fast and maneuverable.crewed by brave men.time means we can appreciate these machines now the war is firmly in the past.and adversaries are now firm respected friends
I’ve always had interest in German torpedo boats. Never thought I’d found a channel of a team wanting to restore one. This is surreal! I hoped it to see it roaring the seas again.
Incredible, those 3 engines!
BRAVO for saving a one-of-a-kind piece of military history. No matter whether its Axis or Allied or any time period of warfare, saving things of this nature is very important and I wish I had the funds to foster a collection for public viewing. I can't get over how big of a task this is to undertake, a 120-ton ship, and astonishing that he has managed to track down so much original equipment up to and including an Enigma machine that someone was willing to sell off. Being able to visit something like this is way cooler than just looking at pictures in a history book and buying a ticket to ride on it and go 70mph would really take the cake 👍💯
@14:54 the 4-tone camouflage paint scheme looks to be something that was probably used in Norway to blend in better with the Fjord coastal terrain and took a heck of a lot of time to apply it. I don't think I have ever seen anything so intricate like it before.
S-boats & PT-boats as well as some of the river patrol boats (Vietnam) have always been of great interest, thanks for the video!! Go Navy and Coast Guard 🇺🇲
Beautful. Thank you both! David. NSW. Australia.
This is absolutely spectacular
You couldn't wish to meet a nicer bloke, history in safe hands with Kevin, keep up the good work.
Look forward to seeing this someday
Incredible! I was aware that this was being done just around the corner from Torpoint, I’m sat here watching this travelling into Cornwall on the train and look out of the window and there on the river by Treluggen boat yard is a Fairmile D. 😮
Wow, just wow. The very best of luck. Great stuff.
Wow. Stunning project. Respect 👌
While on holiday at my aunt's at tonsberg Norway there was one moored in a fjord near to the town.my aunt said the man who lived in it was a German collaborator during ww2 and kept himself to his self. this was 1973 .so I would imagine both boat and the man are long gone.
Wow, what a thing! Thanks so much Kevin and team for bringing history back to life. Just incredible. Best of luck from New Zealand.
THANKS, guys ! Now I have one MORE addition to my bucket list ! Wonderful video !
From the Land Downunder the Spitfire of the sea .Lest We Forget .
When the boat and its new home are done, I will have to come see.
I grew up in Ulster, and there was a derelict MTB sat on the bank of the River Bann I used to canoe past as a child, late '80s - early '90s. It fascinated me. Eventually, someone in power wanted it gone, so the engines were removed and then the hull was burned.
Such a waste of history.
My father was born in 1938 and grew up near Derry. His father was a WWII Forces Chaplain for all three forces, and my Dad remembers as a child seeing dozens of U boats tied up along the banks of the Foyle in 1945, as the German Atlantic U boat fleet surrenderd in Derry.
The British government decided to make an example of the U boats, towed them all offshore to use as targets, and sank them all.
Is that the one next to the rail line just up from Coleraine? I saw it on GoogleMaps a while back and wondered what it was.
Absolutely incredible! Such an important project. Well done!
Thanks to EVERYONE Involved in this Project & Video.
Good we have someone to restore these things for the future.
YAY!!!! An update on this boat! I had been wondering as the project had gone dark online.
Phew, exhausting work!
Particularly if he wants it all to be running, which would be amazing.
G'day to you, wow , you dont realize how big they were until you get close up to them, I hope all goes well with this Piece of History, it will look Brilliant when Finished, I had a Airfix Model of one some 50 odd years ago and have always loved the Sleekness of it , looking forward to upcoming progress! Perth West Aust.
Thank you for preserving history! Amazing
thank you Kevin! Looking forward to seeing it finished!
Awesome thing to behold, I love the American PT boat and had heard of the E-boots but until this video I had never seen one, fantastic video
Shoutout to this collector and more importantly his reason for holding such a passion for #OurHistory. 🏴☘️⚽️👍🇬🇧
Thank you for saving the last one
Great of Kevin to bring everyone up to date on the progress on S - 130, as I along with the other people who've commented had been following the restoration on the internet, does Kevin want too see if he can find the hull for the E100 heavy tank that is rumoured to possibly still exist buried where John Ponds scrapyard used to be in north Portsmouth?
Awesome, I wish them luck restoring S130. Good technology deserves to be restored and remembered. Cheers
Three of these beast engines... must have had big tanks!
Amazing find. The last one left.
Thank you
That is 'advanced collecting '. Good on him. Think of all the dudes who waste fortunes on buying name brand luxury items. This guy is living my dream
Wow what a fantastic project to have well done Kevin and your team hope to visit
A labour of love ,total respect for perfection
Great video and an impressive project. Thank you.
This is fantastic!
I came close to buying s Seaplane tender nothing as big as this but still as historic boat. Sadly I couldnt find anywhere to put the boat to restore it so that wast that. However I have seen one fully restored now. I cant WAIT to see this boat up and running those engines look superb.
As a German, I am happy about the preservation of this boat. At the same time, I respect that this is done by a patron from the former enemy country who appears to be more unbiased towards our common history than we ourselves are.
I’m afraid he has hidden right wing sympathies as with many of these collectors😢
@@christianblake3997 If they are hidden how do you know?
You can be a collector without taking on the baggage of the previous owners you know.
@@christianblake3997 Really? thanks for letting us all know.
Thank you for creating a legacy
Outstanding dedication 😮😊
That is an incredible undertaking - well done!
Great Kevin.
Outstanding video
Fantastically exciting! Their is a similar effort in Kissimmee Florida, rebuilding a FW 190 from 3 aircraft found in Europe, Norway, and Russia. The plane is called Eins Wiess, White One. You can go into the museum, walk right up in touch it, talk to restorers as they work. They also have other items to include pieces from Zero attack planes which participated in the Pearl Harbor attack, (a starter? made by General Electric, ironically) and a plane from one of the Israeli wars, French I think. People who can do this work are special. I am tabletop Wargamer/ Miniature painter and am ready to start a project and game this period, having done so years ago and enjoyed it. I did WW1 Naval actions at that time.
The dive story is crazy!!! Wow
Fascinating! Best of luck with this amazing project!
Superb work, and excellent subject matter
Incredible! I hope to be able to see it in its new home when complete. I will definitely make the trip from Canada to the UK for this alone. Now to live long enough. I have always been intrigued by the Schnellboot. Lurssen designed a thoroughbred. I built the Revell 1/72 S-100 class model a few years back. Love looking at the thing.
AWESOME
Fantastic stuff
Such an incredible project.
The ultimate dream for a ships engineer like me, 3 of those glorious engines on a schnellboot, all mechanically/electrically to fix on board with parts at hand, perfect, just perfect...
Its a really good looking design, sleek , clean lines..
I saw this (I think) moored up at Marchwood over 20 years ago.
An amazing project
This is a great project!
I can't wait to see this ship back up and running I'm going to be keeping my eye out for updates
I know the story of Exercise Tiger and the many lives lost and coverup. It was all due to the Schnellboot. This is fascinating.
Hope this comes to fruition
I wish him well and so will look forward to any updates on the restoration 👍👍🇦🇺
Best Wishes to Mr. Wheatcroft & company on this very ambitious project! Hope you continue posting on your progress (as a new subscriber..). Will be fascinating to see how thing come together! PS: Hope this project generates more interest from those who served aboard such vessels to share their stories & technical assistance!
Note to Owner:
Lindenburg model maker made a scale 1: 72 model of the this boat during the late 80s to early 90s.
It was so detailed, that as a teenager I was too overwhelmed with parts & lack of tools to build it. Don't know what became of it.
But I did own one.
Look for it online.
It was indeed longer & wider than my Kennedy PT model.
Very nicely done, as I recall.
Fascinating machine, I went to see the remains of the engines of S89 on Crackington Haven in Cornwall. even 60 yeas in the sea the engines still have engine oil in them. Hope to see this on the water.
😊narrated with passion...good luck with the project,,,
Part of my family comes from the Emden, Germany area. I was told by a great aunt that a distant cousin commanded one of the S-boats.
Amazing, thank you for doing this and being so enthusiastic. You could not do this in Germany today, unfortunately, without being accused to be a Nazi or glorifying the crimes this party has done, unfortunately.
Unfortunately, true. We really have to thank this man to take up the challenge. I wish him all the best to succeed!
Greetings from Germany.
Lovely video and great this piece of navy history is to be preserved given they played quite a part in the war , apparently there is one sunk in a creek at Newhaven after also being a houseboat..
Wow. Just wow.
Just Wow!
Be fantastic to see and hear this under its own power when it’s restored
My god,I’ve been wondering what happened to the Schnellboot! I remember when he first bought it and then it sort of disappeared.
Exactly thesame for me! Finally some news😊
@@panzerkaske4836 Can you imagine how much he’s spent on it so far?🙀
wow ultra cool video and this s boat will be the meanest wodden boat there is when completed. wow again...