Posted on 01/25/2016 1:05:03 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Whilst undertaking detailed seabed scanning for the development of windfarm projects in the East Anglia Zone, off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk, windfarm developers ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) and Vattenfall uncovered something they weren't expecting -- an 'uncharted' wreck of a WWI German submarine, missing in action since 1915...
SPR and Vattenfall used advanced sonar technology to scan over 6,000km2 of the seabed in the Southern North Sea over two years, which is nearly 4 times the size of Greater London (1,583km2). This work is critical to understand seabed conditions, and allow the companies to design the layout of their proposed projects. Although more than 60 wrecks were discovered during the scanning work, most of these were anticipated, but the uncharted submarine 90km from shore was entirely unexpected...
The Royal Netherlands Navy was duly notified to investigate whether it was Dutch military submarine HNLMS O13, which went missing in action in June 1940, after the crew were tasked to patrol the waters between Denmark and Norway...
GoPro footage taken by the Dutch Navy divers highlighted clear images of the conning tower and deck lay-out, which suggested the wreck was of German origin. From German drawings it was identified that this was a WWI German submarine: Type U-31. A database of reference books shows that only U-boats U-31 and U-34 had been lost in this area of the North Sea...
Three years after its initial discovery (in September 2012) the wreck was officially identified as German submarine, U-31, which left for patrol on 13 January 1915 never to return. The wreck is approximately 90km offshore in the North Sea but sits on the seabed at a depth of only 30 metres.
(Excerpt) Read more at scottishpowerrenewables.com ...
While it appears to be a design which had potential, it was never used in combat. That might have made the French the first to sink an enemy ship with a submarine had that been the case.
fascinating stuff.
especially since someone thought they would be so useful an attempt was made in the 1600s!!!!!
i thought the civil war sub was out to sea for weeks at a time lol!!!
i dont mind giving a laugh at my expense :)
i obviously didn’t think that through!!!
their nuclear powered subs probably weren’t advanced yet :)
Very interesting. Thank you.
I find those old submariner shows fascinating. Actually, anything deeps sea, the animals, plants, formations, ship wrecks - all fun to watch on TV.
:’)
Now that you show me those pics, I do remember that a spur line still existed right up underneath the sub. That would have been, hmm, late 60s, early 70s?
thanks!
;’)
The indoor display is really nice!
The sub is, or at least was, mostly outside the museum, the part for the tour was inside, I remember the torpedoes set up to mimic the function of crowd control ropes.
Looks nice!
...so it'll feel at home.
Yep!
Back in my early days (early 60s, I suppose) I remember a story I read in one of the popular magazines.
It involved a group of guys who located a sunken WWI German U-Boat. The sub was intact and not flooded, and what was left of the crew was still inside.
They managed to recover it and put it into working order. Their purpose was nefarious, probably piracy, but I don’t remember how the story turned out.
But I was more intrigued by the sub itself, and what they found inside!
I’m assuming it was a work of fiction?
Yes, it was fiction.
German WW1 destroyers found in Whale Island mud
13 April 2016
https://navynews.co.uk/archive/news/item/14705
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