A once-in-a-lifetime discovery
YOU cannot help but admire the skill, hard work and perseverance of the team of Guernsey divers who spent four years searching for the resting place of a long-lost First World War German U-boat and the British ship which sank her.
The wrecks has lain undisturbed at the bottom of the seabed for more than a century.
Many divers had previously tried and failed to find them.
In the end they were discovered in 70m of water, 40 miles west of their historically recorded position.
The amazing achievement of this team, led by local filmmaker Karl Taylor and including the Guernsey Press’s picture editor Peter Frankland, should not be underestimated.
The submarine was one of only a handful of undiscovered UC Class II U-boats from that era and the fact it and the the Royal Naval ship it was attacking were both sunk in the same battle makes the find even more noteworthy.
The wreck site has now been recognised as a war grave and a plaque has been placed in honour of the 28 German sailors who died there.
The resulting feature-length documentary film, complete with stunning Guernsey scenery and underwater footage, which will premiere in Guernsey next month ahead of its national release on the BBC, is a real coup for the island.