Wreck of first WWI U-boat found off the coast of Norfolk
by Brett Smith
While working in the North Sea, employees for ScottishPower Renewables recently stumbled upon a German U-boat from the First World War.
The submarine was found about 56 miles off the eastern coast of England below about 98 feet of water.
The power company team found the German ship while researching the viability of a windfarm in the region. Initially thought to be a Dutch submarine from World War II, the U-boat was confirmed to be German by a team of divers who filmed the ship as it lay on the seafloor.
The Scottish power project has turned up about 60 wrecks on the bottom of the North Sea, most of which were known about. The team said the never expected to find a hundred-year old submarine. The U-boat was identified as Type U-31, which left for a patrol on January 13, 1915 and never returned.
“Unravelling the whole story behind the submarine has been fascinating,” project director Charlie Jordan told The Guardian.
Researchers said the boat was probably sunk by a mine. All 35 men on board appear to have perished.
First of 11
Mark Dunkley, marine archaeologist at Historic England, told BBC News: "Relatives and descendants of those lost in the U-31 may now take some comfort in knowing the final resting place of the crew and the discovery serves as a poignant reminder of all those lost at sea, on land and in the air during the First World War.”
The newly-found U-boat was the first of eleven Type U-31 submarines to be commissioned by the Imperial German Navy between 1912 and 1915. These U-boats were designated with numbers from 31 to 41. Three of the boats surrendered and eight sank. The location of two of those that sank, including U-31, has been a mystery.
These U-boats had a range of approximately 8,000 nautical miles and sailors could spend about five days at sea, but only had six dozen hours of air. Over U-boats of all types were lost in during World War I. Out of 17,000 men who served on them, more than 5,100 died.
