The last German submarine from WWI in Belgian waters has been identified. The wreck of the submarine, which sunk about 49 ships during the war, is particularly well preserved.
There are numerous shipwrecks in the Belgian part of the North Sea. “Especially the wars in the 20th century contributed to this,” said maritime archaeologist Tomas Termote. “The strategic location of Ostend and Zeebrugge was crucial in Germany’s fight against Great Britain. Belgium has 11 wrecks of German submarines from World War I.”
In recent years, all but one of the wrecks were identified. The last one has now been identified as well. “It was quite a job, because only through the inscriptions on the propellers could we identify the wreck with 100 per cent certainty, but the wreck is almost completely buried in a sandbank and the propellers were located 4 to 5 m below the sand,” explained Termote.
With the help of dredging company DEME, the propellers were exposed. It turned out to be a submarine UB-57, with on board the bodies of 29 people. The UB-57 was a notorious submarine 55 m long and equipped with heavy armament, which sunk as many as 49 ships during WWI.
Last patrol
On 3 August 1918, the UB-57 left on its last patrol. At 22:15, on 14 August, it transmitted a radio signal to indicate that they were returning and had sunk three ships. After which the boat disappeared from the radar. A week later, the bodies of five people on board washed up.
“Most probably, the boat was sunk by a mine,” explained Termote. “The England-France-Belgium triangle was very dangerous for boats because of minefields.”
Mission accomplished
The wreck is in remarkably good condition. “In my 35-year diving experience, I can say that here we have one of the best-preserved submarine wrecks,” said Termote. “This identification solves the mystery of the last unidentified World War I German U-boat in Belgian waters. Now we can say that, after 40 years, our mission is accomplished.”
The wreck is automatically protected because it is one hundred years old. In consultation with Germany, a commemoration will be considered for the 29 sailors who were given a seaman’s grave.
