REMAINS of a German E-boat from the Second World War have been exposed on a beach near Crackington Haven, due to low tide.

On New Year’s Eve, parts of a German E-boat, the S89, were found exposed at Tremoutha Haven, directly near to Crackington Haven, revealing remnants of the area’s connections with the Second World War.

The Post was informed by a Cornish history and walking enthusiast, John Alden, after he posted photographs of the remains on the Twitter page, iWalk Cornwall.

The S89 was one of many high-speed torpedo boats, about the size of a large fishing boat, used by the Germans during the Second World War.

Mr Alden said the boat survived several battles, but broke free from a tow just after the war and ran aground. This is thought to have taken place on October 5, 1946.

According to J Putley’s report, The Crackington E-Boat – An Interim Report, the S89 was damaged by HMS Worcester on October 24 and 25, 1943, along with three other boats, when the Germans attempted a mass torpedo strike against Convoy FN160.

However, the damage was minor, and the boat was repaired within ten days, when it was then sent to partake in a mine laying operation.

J Putley reports that it was while the S89 was on tow from HMS Hornet that it was wrecked at Tremoutha Haven, when heavy weather pushed the boat further up the beach. The salvage workers eventually abandoned the boat, leaving it to break away on the beach.

Mr Alden, the co-founder of iWalk Cornwall, researches local history in an aim to make ‘Cornwall’s hidden gems accessible to normal people’. He provided the Post with some in depth background information on the S89.

The remains on the beach are of the boat’s powerful engines and propeller shaft. Even after over 60 years of being nestled within the sand under saltwater, the manufacturer’s stamp ‘Fischer’ can still be seen imprinted in the metal.

The remains have been on the beach since the boat finally met its end in October 1946, but cannot often be seen due to the water. However, the wreck can be accessed at low tide times, taking care not to get cut off by the incoming tide.

Mr Alden told the Post: “Alternatively, you can see the wreck from the cliffs on the circular walk from Crackington Haven to The Strangles, available on the iWalk Cornwall app, which includes local information along the route.

“Due to razorblades of rock running out from the shore, created by the geological origami of the Crackington formation, the coastline here is notoriously treacherous for shipping, hence the beach near Boscastle being named ‘The Strangles’.”

J Putley writes: “The wreck is relatively inaccessible as there is no longer a path down the cliffs to the beach at Tremoutha, and because of a channel on the Tremoutha side of Bray’s Point that does not dry except for an hour and a half.”

Putley adds that the wreck is normally exposed for three to four hours during low tide.

Since the boat was wrecked in 1946, it is expected the remains will stay there until the sea eventually claims them — although this will not happen until a few more decades yet.

Mr Alden added: “There are still a few bits of the boat’s steel hull wedged amongst the rocks, but it’s now mainly the three beasts of an engine that remain.”

To find the walk to the wreck, visit the iWalk Cornwall app on www.iwalkcornwall.co.uk.