Dear Stan,

There were five U-Boats in the Mersey in 1945, and herewith the answer to your query:

U-532

The first U-Boat to visit the Mersey in 1945 was the Type IXC/40, U-532,which had surrendered from sea at Loch Eriboll on 13 May at the end of its return trip from the Far East,and which was then taken via Loch Alsh to Liverpool on 17 May for its cargo to be unloaded in the Gladstone Dock rather than being moved directly to Loch Ryan. However,this did not prove possible, and so U-532 was sailed to Barrow-in-Furness on 25 May for completion of the unloading process. Whilst in Liverpool, the U-Boat was inspected by Admiral Sir Max Horton amid considerable publicity, as well as being open to the public - thus giving rise to the oft-repeated, but erroneous, story that it had surrendered there.

U-1023

Next came U-1023, which was one of the U-Boats that had surrendered from sea at Portland in May 1945. Rather than being transferred quickly and directly to Lisahally in N.Ireland, it was instead - crewed by a mixture of RN and German sailors - sent on an 80-day tour of ports in the south west and west of the UK, starting at Portland on 25 May, and ending in Lisahally on 14 August in order to raise funds for the King George’s Fund for Sailors. This tour, which included Plymouth, Bristol, Cardiff, the Liverpool area, Belfast, Glasgow and the Isle of Mull, involved visits to three separate sites in the Mersey. Liverpool (West Canning Dock from 26 June to 1 July), Birkenhead (Morpeth Dock from 1 July to 5 July), and Manchester (Pomona Dock from 5 July to 12 July). Also, on the night of 12/13 July it was again in Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, awaiting the tide prior to its transit to Fleetwood. Thousands of people viewed the U-Boat during its tour, and a considerable amount of money was raised for the King George VI Sailors Fund.

U-2502

The Type XXI U-Boat, U-2502, on which the Royal Navy wished to conduct trials off south-west Scotland suffered from a series of defects which required it to be docked in the Cammell Laird Shipyard at Birkenhead for inspection and repair before the trials could begin. U-2502 arrived in Birkenhead on 22 July 1945 prior to docking and inspection in the No 4 Graving Dock, which was scheduled to occur from 24 to 29 July. However, on 23 July its starboard main motor’s insulation caught fire and the starboard auxiliary motor suffered from overheating. Once docked, it was discovered that U-2502 would have needed 4 to 6 weeks in the dock to repair the defects, as well as it being a complicated and expensive process which would have involved cutting out a section of the hull. The proposed trials with U-2502 were therefore cancelled, and the U-Boat was returned to Lisahally on 2 August.

U-874 and U-875

Amongst the surrendered U-Boats at Lisahally, there were two long range ocean-going supply/transport U-Boats which had been carrying cargo from Germany to Japan, and which needed to be unloaded. These were the Type IXD2s, U-874 and U-875. U-874 had surrendered in Horten, Norway on 9 May 1945, and been moved to Lisahally where it arrived on 30 May, and U-875 had surrendered in Bergen, Norway on 9 May, and been moved to Lisahally where it arrived on 6 June. However, it was soon realised that both these U-Boats were carrying cargo in their keels, and they were therefore transferred to Birkenhead for this to be removed in a dry dock. U-875 was the first to move, leaving Lisahally on 25 August with a joint Royal Navy and German crew, and then spending three weeks in dock at the Grayson, Rollo and Clover (GR&C) shipyard, where its cargo of optical lenses, mercury and iron were unloaded before it returned to Lisahally on 12 September. It was followed by U-874 on 19 September, again with a mixed Royal Navy and German crew, which was also docked in the CR&C shipyard, and from which optical lenses, mercury and zinc were unloaded. U-874 then returned to Lisahally on 22 October.

Hope this helps.

Yours aye

Derek