A Norfolk fisherman landed a surprise catch after he dragged up an anchor from the wreck of a ship sunk by a German submarine in the First World War.

The item became tangled in Gavin Watling's own anchor as he was fishing for crab and lobster from his boat, Emilia Jayne, around one mile off the coast of Happisburgh.

As he raised his anchor to head back to shore, he discovered it was snared on a large metal object. He was unable to free the item, so had to drag it back to land.

Eastern Daily Press: The anchor was found by Gavin Watling while on a trip for his fishing business Big Nippers Ltd. The anchor was found by Gavin Watling while on a trip for his fishing business Big Nippers Ltd. (Image: Big Nippers Ltd)

Once he got back, he realised it was an anchor from the SS Fulgens, which was sunk by an enemy U-boat in 1915.

"At first I was getting annoyed as I’d been at sea since 4am and all I wanted was to get home," Mr Watling said.

Eastern Daily Press: The SS Fulgens. The SS Fulgens. (Image: Norfolk Wreck Research)

"However, when I realised what it was I was over the moon. It's by far one of the best finds on all our fishing trips."

His wife Christy - with whom he runs seafood business Big Nippers - said: "He's never found something with such history behind it before.

"Gavin has lived in Happisburgh all his life and has been going to sea since the age of 10 so he’s always bringing random stuff home, but this one I’ll let him keep."

The wreck of the Fulgens lies in about 50ft of water and is popular with divers - as well as lobsters and crabs.

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Eastern Daily Press: A close up of the anchor where a piece of coal can be seen attached - the boat was carrying a cargo of coal. A close up of the anchor where a piece of coal can be seen attached - the boat was carrying a cargo of coal. (Image: Big Nippers Ltd)

The ship was heading from Hartlepool to London with a cargo of coal when, on the morning of August 1, 1915, the crew spotted the wake of a torpedo racing towards them on their port side.

There was no time to steer the ship out of its path and the torpedo struck the Fulgens, blowing a hole in its side.

As it started to list heavily, the crew were ordered to abandon ship.

By 9.05am, all of them had managed to get safely away in a lifeboat.

At 10am, the Fulgens - which had been built three years earlier in Newcastle - sank.

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Eastern Daily Press: The SS Fulgens Crew pictured in 1915. The SS Fulgens Crew pictured in 1915. (Image: Great Yarmouth Museums Service)

The 26 men on board were soon picked up by the Sea Palling lifeboat.

They were taken to the shipwrecked sailors' home in Great Yarmouth.

Online researchers have managed to piece together details of the crew, which included sailors from across the British empire, including a 21-year-old from Barbados, David Martilay, and a 22-year-old from Jamaica, Moses Bennet, who both worked as firemen.

 

SHIP SINKER WHICH STALKED EAST COAST

The Fulgens was sunk by SM UB-10, which survived almost the entire war and is credited with sinking 36 merchant ships and one warship.

August 1915 was a particularly productive time for the submarine, which was launched in early 1915.

Hours before sinking the Fulgens, it captured and burned Alert - a fishing smack - off Lowestoft.

A week later, it sank two more smacks - Arbor Vitae and Xmas Rose - off Lowestoft, before attacking a much larger vessel, Rosalie, bound from the Tyne to San Francisco.

The ship was beached at Weybourne but was irreparably damaged. The wreck remains in the shallows off the beach.

A day later, UB-10 sank ten fishing smacks off Cromer.

All ten ships, which ranged in size from 41 to 62 tons, were boarded and sunk by explosives.

The submarine was scuttled shortly before the end of the war, in October 1918.