Lost German WW1 submarine with 23 bodies inside is found

0 The U-boat found off the coast of Belgium is thought to have been sunk by a mine. It is lying at about a 45 degree angle, between 82-98 feet below the surface An intact German First World War submarine containing the bodies of 23 people has been found off the coast of Belgium.

The UB Ii-type dive boat is said to be in good condition.

It is 88 feet long and 20 feet wide, and is lying at about a 45 degree angle, between 82-98 feet below the surface.

The vessel is thought to have been sunk by a mine.

Carl Decaluwe, the governor of Western Flanders, described the find on the floor of the North Sea as “very unique”.

“It’s quite amazing that we found something like this,” Mr Decaluwe said.

“The impact damage was at the front, but the submarine remains closed and there are 23 people still on board.”

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.

Mr Decaluwe said the U-boat was found by researchers.

He declined to provide details about its location until the site has been protected.

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 and it is the 11th such wreck to be found in Belgian waters.

Allied warships and cargo ships were easy pickings for the German subs that were launched from Bruges, just across the English Channel.

Last year, an Italian diver reported that he had found a Royal Navy submarine which sank more than 70 years ago during the Second World War.

Massimo Domenico Bondone, 58, made the discovery 90 metres below the surface of the Mediterranean while scuba diving off the Sardinian coast.

It was thought that vessel could be the HMS P311, which sank near the island of Tavolara.

HMS P311 went down in January 1943 along with its 71 crew, all of whom are believed to still be on board. Mr Bondone, who began diving at the age of 18, is said to have discovered a number of other shipwrecks, including a UJ 2208 German anti-submarine vessel off the coast of Genoa.

He said at the time: “Now you think of the fate of those who fell to their death down there – a fate shared by many people of different nationalities, submariners in particular.”

Under international protocols, military vessels lost at sea remain the property of the relevant nation as they may contain human remains.