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The programmes
Six miles from the busy Cornish fishing town of Padstow and 60 metres below the waves lie the remains of a First World War German U-boat. This submarine wreck has baffled archaeologists since it was found by experienced diver and U-boat expert Innes McCartney in 2003. With no record of any U-boat wrecks in this area, there was a question mark over its identity, making it one of the most intriguing U-boat finds in recent years. The Wreck Detectives teamed up with Innes McCartney to try and unravel the story of its mysterious end.
The history
During both world wars, Britain relied on supplies from overseas for its survival. The sea was the supply line and the ships that brought these provisions had to be fiercely protected if the country was to last the war. In 1918, the German navy had 134 U-boats that managed to sink 192 Allied boats, killing more than 5400 people. The deadly U-boats became known as 'assassins of the sea', and combating the menace of these submarines was a high priority for the British forces.
The highest concentration of German submarine operations was in the English Channel, but U-boats also patrolled the Bristol Channel.
The dive
A brief week-long dive survey takes a lot of careful planning if it's to be successful. Marine archaeologists usually spend months, if not years, mapping, measuring and scouring a site of interest, so things were pretty tight for our team. The Wreck Detectives had to know exactly what they were looking for and where to look for it. So building up a picture of the wreck site prior to the dives was important.
The team also needed as much information as possible because at a depth of 60 metres, bottom time is restricted to 20 minutes by health and safety regulations. In order to get the most out of these short dives, a military-style plan was drawn up. The British Sub-Aqua Club recommend that air diving is limited to 50 metres. At 60 metres, this had to be a Trimix dive, so presenter Miranda headed off to a dive-training centre to qualify as a Trimix diver in the weeks leading up to the U-boat dives.
Strong tidal movement in the area means that this wreck has to be dived on or just before slack water. And so with twin 12-litre cylinders on their backs, the first-time deep-diving presenter, the archaeologist, the cameraman and the production team had to make sure they were in the water at just the right time.
Dropping down the 60-metre shot line, the stern of this 50-metre long wreck started to come into view halfway down. Although deep, the visibility here commonly reaches more than 20 metres in the months that follow Cornwall's plankton bloom in May and June.
The best way to start this dive is at the stern. You can then fin over the pressure hull, ballast tank and conning tower and see where the superstructure has fallen away. The wreck is relatively intact, with no visible signs of explosive damage. But its hatches lie open, suggesting that the crew of 37 men did make an attempt to escape.
Life is abundant in and around the wreck – there are sheltering bib, shy conger eels and lobster. The structure is encrusted with life. A blanket of plumose anemones covers most of the area around the conning tower and gun.
Clues to the identity of the vessel came from the size of its gun and an identity plate fixed to one of its propellers. Gun measurements put it into the UBIII class of U-boats. The plate identified the sub as UB65. Few records of the vessel exist, either in the UK or Germany. UBIII submarines were patrolling this area in 1918 and UB65 would have been hiding beneath the waves outside Padstow estuary waiting to attack supply ships. The submarine is thought to have been responsible for misfiring a torpedo that hit and sank a Portuguese fishing trawler. It's unclear what happened following this event. Sadly, with little more to go on than this, the reason for the demise of UB65 remains a mystery.
Find out more about the wreck of the U-boat.
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Location
Six miles north of Padstow
Dive planning
The wreck must be dived on or just before slack water. Padstow is the closest and easiest launch point. The cost of launching is £5 per day and to park a trailer in the car park costs £3 for the day. A sheltered slipway opposite the harbour master's office can be used two hours either side of high tide. There's a five-knot speed limit through the moorings.
Boat charters
No dive charter boats run out of Padstow, however, it's possible to charter a local fishing vessel. Remember: all wreck expeditions must be planned and run by an individual qualified to do so. There are boat charters from Newquay – Atlantic Diver: 01637 850930 and Kool Air RIB: 01637 872591.
Useful contacts
Padstow harbour master:
01841 532239
Newquay harbour master:
01637 872809
» Find out more
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