Divers Locate WWI Submarine Wreck 93 Years After it Sank

A British WWI submarine has been found off the coast of Northumberland in the UK, 93 years after it sank when it was hit during a friendly fire incident.

A team of scuba diving experts recently discovered the vessel 40 miles off the coast of Seahouses.

The Darkstar team uses Hydrographic Office sonar data to identify objects on the seabed off the British coast and the divers were surprised to come across an 80-metre-long submarine that was sitting in an upright position and was still in surprisingly good condition.

Despite being overjoyed at finding the ship, the scuba diving team soon learned how it found its way to the bottom of the ocean.

Image by SBrinn, on Flickr.

The J6 was sunk by another British ship during a friendly fire incident on 15th October, 1918 – just one month before the end of the First World War. The submarine was spotted by an armed Q ship, the Cymric, who mistook it for a German vessel and opened fire. The submarine sank and killed 15 people.

One of the Darkstar team divers, Steven Slater, said: "We were quite shocked at such a major discovery that history had forgotten about. The first thing was elation, then it hit home what happened. Submarines are worse because you're swimming past and thinking some of the guys are still in there."

Image by Images Of Life Photography, on Flickr.

Out of respect for the submarine and its crew members, the divers will not be entering the ship or taking anything from it. They are planning to leave a wreath at the site during their next wreck diving expedition in the spring.

Though the UK is not regarded as one of the world's most exotic scuba diving destinations, the waters surrounding the island are teeming with battle ships and aircraft that sunk during historic events such as the two world wars and the famous Battle of Trafalgar.

Image by Images Of Life Photography, on Flickr.

During scuba diving holidays in the UK, divers can explore hundreds of sunken ships off the coast of Portsmouth, Cornwall, Scotland, the Isles of Scilly and the north east of England. The waters might not be as warm as those in the Caribbean of Indian Ocean and the visibility conditions might not be great or optimum but there are plenty of beautiful sites to visit where divers can admire the colourful corals and variety of marine species.