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A U-boat that sank off the coast of Germany at the end of the First World War was most likely scuttled, according to new research.
Scientists from the University of Dundee believe they have established what happened to UC-71, which lies 22 metres under the sea off the coast of the Heligoland archipelago.
Launched in November 1916, UC-71 conducted 19 enemy patrols during the war, sinking 61 civilian ships using either torpedoes or mines.
Following the armistice two years later, the vessel was due to be turned over to the Allies. But on 20 February 1919, while heading to the UK, the submarine sunk while still in German waters.
A telegram from the captain cited bad weather and high waves as the cause – but a recently published diary entry from an engineer suggested a different reason. ‘No Englishman should step on the boat,’ the entry read. ‘That was the will of the crew, and they achieved it.’
The research was conducted by Professor Chris Rowland, an expert in 3D visualisation of underwater environments based in Dundee, and Professor Kari Hyttinen, a specialist in Communication Design. Rowland worked with underwater archaeologist Florian Huber and the scientific diving company Submaris to explore the site, which is protected.
Using state-of-the-art camera and lighting equipment, the team managed to capture the submarine in unprecedented detail. A full digital reconstruction has been produced from a compilation of overlapping still and video images.
During the dive, the team also established that the hatches were open across the submarine, supporting the claim made by the engineer that she was scuttled.
‘While nobody died in this sinking,’ explained Professor Rowland, ‘UC-71 is associated with great loss of life at sea.’
‘By capturing this particular wreck, we are able to capture a moment in time that allows us not only to study this single act, but also serves to remind us of those who lives were claimed by the vessel during the hostilities,’ he added.
A two-metre, 3D model of the wreck is due to be produced using the new imagery, which will sit alongside the engineer’s journal at a museum on Heligoland.
Read David Porter’s feature on the Kaiser’s U-boats here
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