WW1 Submarines - First World War

Category: WW1 Submarines --- See Latest World War I news here. See also 'Historical Wrecks', 'WWI Medals', 'Great War Collectibles'.

German u-boat 38 moved to deeper waters to protect ships in the English Channel
A German submarine wrecked in the English Channel during the First World War has been moved to deeper waters to reduce the risk to passing ships. The U-boat - which contains the remains of 27 crew members, 6 torpedoes and deck gun ammunition - has been located the coast of Dover in Kent since 1918. The increasing deep draught of vessels using the Channel led to concern about the location of the boat. At first it was believed the submarine was the UB33, which also sank in nearby waters in April 1918. But a probe found out it to be the UB38 which ran into a minefield while attempting to flee British destroyers. [ bbc.co.uk :: 2008-07-29 :: WW1 Submarines ]

First World War U-boat to be moved because "it poses a threat to shipping"
A First World War German submarine which sank off the coast of Folkestone in 1918 is to be moved because it poses a threat to shipping. The U-boat is a designated war grave and saw the loss of 28 crewmen when it clashed with a mine. It lies near the Varne bank only 23 metres below the surface. Although the wreck has been undisturbed since it sank the rising number of vessels moving in the Channel means the wreck is reducing the avaliable sea room. [ kentonline.co.uk :: 2008-06-26 :: WW1 Submarines ]

Gallipoli submarine HMAS AE2 to be left on sea floor
Sunken Australian submarine HMAS AE2 that participated in the Gallipoli campaign will likely be left where it rests and protected as a national heritage relic. Turkish-Australian workshop - the Turkish Institute of Nautical Archaeology (TINA) and the Submarine Institute of Australia (SIA) - doesn't recommend raising the wreck, which lies in 73 metres in the Sea of Marmara after being scuttled in an April 1915 battle. "...the submarine should be protected by two buoys, an underwater shield, an anti-intruder surveillance system and sacrificial anodes against corrosion." [ smh :: 2008-05-03 :: WW1 Submarines ]

AE2 - First World War story of Australian daring and success
It was Winston Churchill's plan to harm the German war effort with an attack on the eastern front through Germany's ally Turkey. He suggested that the joint British and French fleets attack the Ottoman forts. But as the forts proved immune to naval bombardment, the decision was made to land the army on the peninsula while the fleet stood well off. While that was happening, the AE2, under the command of Hugh Stoker, infiltrated the narrows on April 25, 1915, and harassed the Turkish naval vessels. It remained a little-known Gallipoli success story until the Stoker's Submarine came out in 2001. [ theaustralian :: 2008-04-21 :: WW1 Submarines ]

Plans to raise submarine AE2 and turn it into a museum
Henry Stoker commanded the submarine that carried out one of the most daring naval operations of the Great War. He was also a film actor and an accomplished tennis player. But his name is barely known in Britain. That is all about to change, marine engineers plan to raise his submarine and turn it into a museum. Lieutenant Commander Stoker's boat, AE2, was the first warship to break through dense minefields protecting the Dardanelles strait during the Gallipoli landings in 1915. Historians think its successful passage persuaded the British generals to hold on with the landings, in the face of strong defences. [ telegraph :: 2008-02-11 :: WW1 Submarines ]

British destroyer HMS Fairy's battle with U-boat UC75
HMS Fairy was a 380-ton C Class British destroyer, with six guns: one 12 pounder forward and 5 six pounders at her sides and stern. She also had depth charges and two 18" torpedo tubes on her decks. On May 31, 1918 the weather was quite reasonable when a convoy of 30 merchant ships rounded Flamborough Head. Escorting the convoy was HMS Fairy, the senior officer's ship under the command of Lieut GH Barnish. At 2.05am, there was a crashing noise. The steamer Blaydonian had run over the hull of submerged u-boat UC75 (Unterseeboot C-75), a German minelayer commanded by Walter Schmitz. HMS Fairy raced to the scene and challenged the u-boat. [ bridlingtonfreepress :: 2008-02-03 :: Navy - Naval Forces & Battles ]

Divers discover German U-boat wreckage - U12 sunk in 1915
Jim MacLeod, of Bo'ness, and Martin Sinclair discovered the wreckage of the U12, 25 miles from Eyemouth. They had been seeking the 60-metre U-boat for 5 years. The location has been reported to the German authorities as 19 sailors died in the sinking and relatives will be notified. The site has been declared a war grave and it will stay untouched. The divers enlisted the help of a researcher who was able to acquire log books from destroyers HMS Ariel, Acheron and Attack - involved in the sinking of the U12 - to pinpoint the site. And they found the boat resting 150ft down on the seabed. [ bbc :: 2008-01-15 :: WW1 Submarines ]

Dover Strait WW1 U-boat to be moved - Sonar image shows U-boat
The wreck of a World War One German submarine, south of the Varne Bank and 8 miles south of Dover, is to be moved because it is a danger to shipping off Dover. The U-boat, which has been in the Dover Strait since 1918, is 23.5m (77ft) below the surface, which does not leave enough clearance for ships. Divers had completed a survey of the wreck and it hoped to move it into deeper water this summer. The U-boat, classified as a war grave, is one of dozens of vessels sunk off the coast of Britain during the war. [ bbc :: 2007-08-20 :: WW1 Submarines ]

German U-Boat 33, sunk in 1918, threatening to surface in Channel
It was one of the deadliest submarines in the German Navy's fleet during the Great War. The UB-33 stalked the seas sinking at least 13 vessels. The hunter met its own end 8 miles off Dover in 1918. But now the ghost of the submarine is threatening to rise from the depths to pose a new danger to ships. Lying in shallow waters, the wreck of the UB-33 has been disturbed by passing vessels, leading to fears that it could break free from the seabed. The saga began when UB (Unterseeboot) 33 was sunk with all 28 crew on April 11, 1918, after hitting a mine. It was armed with 6 torpedoes, 2 already loaded in its forward tubes. [ dailymail.co.uk :: 2007-08-18 :: WW1 Submarines ]

Missing World War I submarine AE1 may have been found
Australia's first submarine, missing with all hands since the start of World War 1, may have been found in Papua New Guinea waters. Minister Bruce Billson said he was optimistic an object detected by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) survey ship on the sea floor off the island of New Britain was the wreckage of AE1. But he cautioned that it was early days. Like the loss of HMAS Sydney in WWII, the sinking of AE1 in 1914 remains a mystery. AE1's sister ship AE2 is far better known: it managed to penetrate the Dardanelles during the Gallipoli campaign and was lost in the Sea of Marmara. AE2's wreckage was located in 1998. [ thewest :: 2007-03-01 :: WW1 Submarines ]

Navy to hunt for lost WW1 sub AE1
The navy is to conduct a search for the wreckage of the submarine AE1, lost with all hands off New Guinea at the start of World War 1. Minister Bruce Billson said the survey ships HMAS Benalla and HMAS Shepparton would conduct a search for the submarine during routine survey operations. "I am hopeful that this search will shed some light on to the whereabouts of the AE1." Navy Commander John Foster had played a key role in researching AE1 and the search would be based on information he had gathered over the past 30 years. The disappearance of AE1 with all 35 crewmen was Australia's first major loss of the Great War. [ smh :: 2007-02-26 :: WW1 Submarines ]

U-boat of commander who sank war minister Kitchener is found
He sank the face of Britain's war effort - British war minister Lord Horatio "Your Country Needs You" Kitchener - but the German submarine commander's final resting place had become a secret of the sea. An probe into two u-boat wrecks off Orkney revealed that one was commanded by Kurt Beitzen, who laid the mine that blew up Kitchener's boat and drowned the minister whose moustachioed image had pointed out the importance of individual contributions to the First World War. Grainy images of the submarines were captured using a 3-dimensional sonar device. [ scotsman :: 2006-11-23 :: WW1 Submarines ]

The wreck of a World War I U-Boat UB81 degrading fast
The wreck of a First World War U-Boat is set to get special protection because it is rotting so fast the bones of those sailors who died inside can be seen by divers. The UB81 is to receive "designated wreck" status under the Protection of Military Remains Act, meaning only those with the right licence will be able to get up close. The site is already a war grave for 27 German sailors and a favourite among members of the local diving community. [ portsmouthtoday :: 2006-09-25 :: WW1 Submarines ]

Divers discover World War One Submarine -- possible H11
An intact First World War submarine has been discovered in deep waters off Eyemouth. It is thought to be a British submarine known as the H11, which was lost in 1920 while under tow - although some maritime records indicate she was also scrapped that year with no note of ever being lost. Divers are awaiting confirmation from the Royal Navy that the submarine was not manned before they carry out further probes of the torpedo-carrying vessel. There is little damage to the submarine with the conning tower, periscopes and hatches in good condition. [ scotsman :: 2006-07-20 :: WW1 Submarines ]

WW1 U-boat UB-85 attacked by seamonster?
April 30, 1918, in the waning days of World War I, the crew of the British patrol boat were astounded to find a German submarine (the UB-85) floating on the surface of the North Atlantic. With almost no provocation, the entire crew of the UB-85 abandoned ship. According to U-boat's commander, his submarine had surfaced in order to recharge its batteries. Suddenly, a "strange Beast" climbed onto the side of his ship. The shaken crew of the UB-85 noted that during the struggle the forward deck plating had been damaged and the U-boat could no longer submerge. The entire account was chronicled by members of the British Navy, only hours after the event. [ americanmonsters :: 2006-07-06 :: Strange ]

RMS Lusitania - Torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat
The RMS Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat on her 202nd crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The incident played a role in the US entry into WWI. President Woodrow Wilson, who was officially promising to keep the US out of the war, may have falsely claimed that the Lusitania was a wrongful victim, if indeed the ship had been carrying munitions as the Germans claimed. On May 7, 1915, already within sight of the coast of Southern Ireland, it was spotted by the submarine U-20, commanded by Captain Walther Schweiger. Before the voyage, a secret warning, given to the wealthiest passengers, reported of U-boat activity and advised not to travel. [ thefreedictionary :: 2006-05-10 :: Navy - Naval Forces & Battles ]

First World War in the News is an edited review of hand-picked World War I 1914-1918 articles.