Brussels: An intact German First World War submarine containing the bodies of 23 people has been found off the coast of Belgium, authorities said on Tuesday.
Western Flanders Governor Carl Decaluwe said that the find on the floor of the North Sea “is very unique.”
“It’s quite amazing that we found something like this,” Decaluwe said. “The impact damage was at the front, but the submarine remains closed and there are 23 people still on-board.”
The UB II-type dive boat that was found is 27 metres long and 6 metres wide, and is lying at about a 45 degree angle, between 25-30 metres below the surface.
From the damage to the front of the vessel, it appears that the sub may have struck a mine with its upper deck. Two torpedo tubes have been destroyed but the lower tube is intact and closed.
Video images show the submarine encrusted with barnacles and seaweed. It is also adorned with fishing gear, including nets.
Decaluwe said the U-boat was found by researchers. He has contacted the German ambassador because “we need to see what can do” with the remains.
Around 18 U-boats were stationed with the Flanders Flotilla in Bruges between 1915 and 1918. Thirteen of them were destroyed.
It is the 11th German submarine from the 1914-18 war to be found in Belgian waters and the best-preserved example to date, Jan Mees, head of the Flanders Marine Institute said.
The wreck was found in the summer by Thomas Termote, a diver and expert in marine archaeology, but its exact location is being kept secret to deter treasure-hunters.
“The submarine is very intact, everything is still closed — that’s what he [Termote] saw during his first visit this summer,” Mees said.
The submarine would have had 22 crew and a commander on board, West Flanders provincial governor Carl Decaluwe told De Standaard newspaper.
“All the hatches are still closed. This suggests the wreck has not been discovered before and moreover the 23 crew members are still inside,” Decaluwe said.
During the First World War, the German navy used the Belgian port of Zeebrugge as a base for its submarines, known as U-boats, to attack shipping in the North Sea.
To combat the U-boat threat, the British tried to block Zeebrugge port in April 1918 by scuttling old ships in the entry channel.
