[PSUBS-MAILIST] Finding WW1 Sub UC-18

Wed Mar 20 14:11:00 EDT 2024

 Fantastic James.  Looks like it's going to be an extremely interesting documentary.
Jon

    On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 01:22:21 PM EDT, James Frankland via Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:  

 Hi All
I've not mentioned this before as this has been top secret for various reasons, but i can now disclose it  
My brother has been part of a search crew here that have found one of the last remaining (I believe) undiscovered WW1 German Submarines.
They have made it into a film which will show on BBC later this year.
Website for the trailer is    www.TheHuntForTheGermanSubmarine.com

I'll paste the text that is in todays local paper as they have officially released the information at last.

I didn't have anything to do with the diving expeditions but did make various parts for the camera sleds and things, plus assisted in machining the plaque they laid on the wreck.Regards
James
(Press Release) Divers discover missing German U-boat

Divers from Guernsey in the Channel Islands have discovered a missing German U-Boat at a depth of over 70 meters.

The missing U-boat ‘UC-18' was lost in February 1917 after a famous battle with a secret Royal Navy ‘Q’ Ship which was also sunk in the altercation. It is the only known battle where a navy ship and a submarine sank each other.

Historians had contested the accuracy of the battle or even if the Royal Navy ship ‘The Lady Olive’ had actually sunk ‘UC-18’. The team of technical divers and underwater filmmaker Karl Taylor were able to prove the validity of the Lady Olive’s claims by examining the damage to the U-boat and locating what they also believe to be the Lady Olive.

It took the team 4 years, including extensive research to finally find the resting place of the submarine along with its 28 lost crew and confirm it as UC-18. The entire four years of the project has also been filmed as part of an upcoming documentary which is set for broadcast on the BBC later this year.

Following the discovery, the German War Graves Commission were very appreciative to receive the information and finally be able to determine the resting place of the 28 missing submariners.

Fortunately for the Lady Olive all of her crew survived the encounter and were rescued from their lifeboats by a French destroyer some 36 hours later. It was a vital clue from this rescue that helped Karl Taylor narrow down a new search area for the U-boat.

Karl said the project had been very demanding with deep dives in very low light, making filming even more challenging. During their search across thousands of square kilometres of ocean, two other wrecks were also discovered and identified but they were not what the team were looking for.

In the third year of search, following extensive research and with leads from fisherman it eventually lead to discovering the location of the U-Boat, along with what they believe to be the Lady Olive relatively nearby.

The team conducted several research dives on the U-boat and worked closely with U-Boat expert and marine archeologist Tomas Termote to identify the submarine as ‘UC-18’. Incredibly she was found approximately 40 miles west of her supposed position and remains in amazing condition.

Tomas Termote and the dive team have passed all of their findings and photographic evidence over to the French Maritime Authorities and the German Navy and as it is designated a war grave the French authorities have now closed the location to divers.

Karl Taylor said he was elated with the project and being able to document it, ‘the circumstances of the sinking’s had been an enduring mystery finally solved' and he hoped that the film would help people realise the sacrifices that all sides made during a very turbulent period of European history.

___________________________

The documentary film: ‘The Hunt for Lady Olive and the German Submarine’ will be aired on the BBC in June this year.

Full details of the film, the crew and the trailer can be found at: www.TheHuntForTheGermanSubmarine.com

For further information about this project please contact Karl Taylor at info at karltaylor.com 
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