Wreck of WW1 Submarine fopund

[eltoro1960]

Saw this article in today's Edinburgh Evening News and thought it may be of interest.

Divers discover World War One sub off Lothian coast

AN intact First World War submarine has been discovered in deep waters off Eyemouth after divers initially mistook it for a sunken fishing trawler.

Divers from Edinburgh and South Queensferry were part of an expedition that found the wreck virtually unscathed despite lying 200ft down on the floor of the North Sea for more than 85 years.

It is thought to be a British submarine known as the H11, which was lost in 1920 while under tow.

Members of the South Queensferry Sub Aqua Club (SQSAC) are awaiting confirmation from the Royal Navy that the submarine was not manned before they carry out further investigations of the torpedo-carrying vessel.

Stevie Adams, 43, a BT engineer from South Queensferry, who is the SQSAC's diving officer, said four members of the club were among the party who discovered the wreck earlier this month.

He said: "We initially thought it was a trawler and because visibility was poor on our first trip we couldn't decipher exactly what it was.

"We managed to get down again and this time it was much clearer, and to our amazement we found this great big submarine. We think it was being towed to be scrapped before it sank.

"What we don't know is if there was any crew on board so we are waiting for the Admiralty to get back to us on that before we go poking about any further.

"It just amazes me that it has sat there for so long, in such a good condition, and nobody knew about it.

"The difficult part is the onshore detective work but we have a few people working on that."

The submarine is around five metres tall and 45 metres long and is lying on her port side with the bows clear of the seabed.

There is little damage to the submarine with the conning tower, periscopes and hatches in good condition according to Mr Adams.

Iain Easingwood, who runs the Marine Quest Boat Charter in Eyemouth which took the divers out to the submarine, said the wreck was known about locally.

He said: "My dad was a fisherman for over 40 years in these waters and he was always getting his nets caught around this spot so we knew there was something there. It was always assumed it was a trawler but to find out it was a submarine, and in such good condition, is just amazing.

"When they all came back up and told us what had happened they were understandably excited at what they had discovered and I think we'll back to find out more about it."

Mr Easingwood estimates there are at least another 20 wrecks in the area that have still to be explored by divers.

The H11 was reported as possibly being lost while under tow although other maritime records indicate she was also scrapped that year with no note of ever being lost.

Experts at the Submarine Museum in Gosport and navy officials are looking into the discovery to try and shed more light on the vessel's past.

The H11 was built in the United States and was released to British forces when the Americans joined the war in 1917.

[J T Gray]

Saw this article in today's Edinburgh Evening News and thought it may be of interest.

Right you are John!

What a fascinating story - wonder if the water is clear enough for any photos, or whether it is pea soup up there? Any divers on-Forum?

Adrian

[George Armstrong Custer]

Agree with Adrian - a fascinating find! Thanks for bringing it to our attention Duncen - I hope you'll post any updates on the story which appear in the Edinburgh Evening News. I hope, too, that, as the sub seems in such good nick, and apparently not a war grave, it may be raised for preservation.

Ciao,

GAC

[Michael Lowrey]

This submarine wreck most definitely was NOT just discovery earlier this month. A buddy of mine has spent a fair amount of time trying to positively identify her -- and came up with the possible identification, based upon conversations with Gosport.

Best wishes,

Michael

[George Armstrong Custer]

Michael, if that's the case, then surely the Admiralty would have confirmed when your buddy researched it whether the wreck is a grave or not - and ought now to be able to give the current team of divers the go-ahead or not without further delay.

Ciao,

GAC

[Michael Lowrey]

GAC,

Sure, my friends have that information -- they're literally writing the book on sub wrecks off the British coast. The sub in question isn't a war loss.

Oh, and never presume that divers fully understand what they're diving, especially if it's a submarine. Some are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of a wreck, some are less so...

Best wishes,

Michael

[George Armstrong Custer]

Thanks for that, Michael. So the newspaper report saying the SQSAC had to wait until the Admiralty confirmed no grave is involved would seem to be misleading - as, indeed, it was to the length of time this wreck has been known of as a submarine.

As a matter of interest, has your contact in the diving world heard of the existence of a WWII U-Boat close to the Scottish coast in the vicinity of Montrose/StCyrus? I'm led to believe there's one down there which was also on tow by the Royal Navy after having surrendered at the end of the war. It apparently broke its cables and went down in stormy conditions.

Regards,

GAC

[Guest geoff501]

As a matter of interest, has your contact in the diving world heard of the existence of a WWII U-Boat close to the Scottish coast in the vicinity of Montrose/StCyrus? I'm led to believe there's one down there which was also on tow by the Royal Navy after having surrendered at the end of the war. It apparently broke its cables and went down in stormy conditions.

There's one from WWII further north near Peterhead, U-1206, famous as the only boat lost due to its toilet (I kid you not!) However there are a number of others around. The website www.uboat.net is the main place for info. A google should find the U-1206 story involving its commander (Kptlt. Karl-Adolf Schlitt) and the s**t man.