Dozens of U Boats found

[Terry]

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/07/21/explorers-find-dozens-wwi-u-boats-off-united-kingdom-coast/

[aeronca1]

My brain is a bit fuzzy on this, but didn't the Germans scuttle their own ships that were interned following WWI???

[Terry]

My brain is a bit fuzzy on this, but didn't the Germans scuttle their own ships that were interned following WWI???

Not unless they all commited suicide.

Mark Dunkley tells the German news magazine he anticipates most of the newly unearthed submarines will eventually be found to contain the perished crews’ remains.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/07/21/explorers-find-dozens-wwi-u-boats-off-united-kingdom-coast/#ixzz2ZtZnndGe

[stiz]

yea i reckon they've all have been sunk by force, the channel must have more ship wrecks than fish!

[SSI01]

The overwhelming majority are WWI German subs (the article said a few English boats are there, too). These boats may have been victims of a mine barrage or two in the English Channel, and possibly some air patrols as well, besides attacks by antisubmarine vessels. If treated properly during exploration, and thoroughly documented, they will be a treasure trove of information. That war will see the 100-year anniversary of its beginning next year. The boats are more or less contemporaries of the Titanic. AFAIK there is no preserved Germany WWI U-boat anywhere, is there?

What was scuttled by the Germans in or near Scapa Flow consisted of the entire High Seas Fleet, didn't it? I know there were some subs, but not many.

[Terry]

This photo was taken at Duxford in 1980. Anyone recognize it?

[norab]

is it an X-craft ?

[arl]

My brain is a bit fuzzy on this, but didn't the Germans scuttle their own ships that were interned following WWI???

That's correct. The German High Seas Fleet was confined in Scapa Flow in the Shetlands at the end of WWI. Rather than risk letting the fleet to be taken over by the ally nations, a command was sent out by Rear-Admiral von Reuter to open the seacocks and flood valves of all the ships at the same time. Some 50 odd of the 70 ships sank before anything could be done by the skeleton Royal Navy guards. Only a handful of German sailor died. It takes time for ships to sink and they were not going to hang about!

An odd side effect of the scuttling is that the remaining wrecks are a source of low radiation level steel for special instruments, having been under 45 metres of water before contamination with radiation from the atmospheric atomic testing carried out since WWII could affect it.

[Odie]

Some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttling_of_the_German_fleet_in_Scapa_Flow

[Matt Wynn]

the Duxford Midget sub is an XE-Class, X51 'Stickleback' which was British then given to the Swedish and called 'Spiggen' if i recall.... but my minds fuzzy on RN or former RN kit...

[Naismith]

Cue the theme (OK wrong war but what the heck it's good music)

http://youtu.be/snnwjoToN-8

[Skyhawk_310R]

My brain is a bit fuzzy on this, but didn't the Germans scuttle their own ships that were interned following WWI???

Yes they did, but the balance of them were scuttled as they entered Scapa Flow, the major Royal Navy port of call.

Ken

[Matt Wynn]

Yes they did, but the balance of them were scuttled as they entered Scapa Flow, the major Royal Navy port of call.

Ken

the very same Scapa Flow where Lord Kitcheners ship struck a mine and sunk (i know this as my Great Great Grandfather was one of the Hands lost, have his record somewhere... as well as a diary from the Trenches with my other Great Great Grandfather...)