Power cable engineers have found the wreck of a German WWI submarine off the Scottish coast. Is it the UB-85, which an old sea tale claims was attacked by a huge sea monster before the crew was captured?
Image: Scottish Power
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Remarkable sonar images show a roughly 45 meter long submarine - almost 100 years old and surprisingly intact.
Experts believe the wreck might very well be the legendary UB-85, which was supposedly attacked by a sea monster while prowling Scotland's coastline towards the end of WWI, ScottishPower said in a press release on Wednesday.
Marine engineers involved in a major ScottishPower undersea power project aimed at linking Scotland and England detected the wreck.
UB-85 was one of 375 German submarines that set sail during the First World War. And at least 12 British and German submarines are known to have sunk in the area, according to Innes McCartney, a nautical archaeologist at Bournemouth University. "This wreck is either the famous UB-85 or its sister submarine, the UB-82."
Enduring naval mystery
The UB-85, cruising the surface on April 30, 1918, was sunk by the British patrol boat HMS Coreopsis. To the surprise of the British captors, no shots were fired, the German crew simply surrendered.But why was the submarine on the surface in broad daylight?
HMS Coreopsis sank the damaged German submarine and captured the crew Image: IWM (SP)
A mysterious creature had damaged the vessel so badly that it couldn't submerge, Captain Günther Krech told his captors - making it easy prey. He recounted the story of how the sub was recharging its batteries at night when a "strange beast" rose from the sea, with "large eyes, set in a horny sort of skull, with small head and teeth glistening in the moonlight."
Krech claimed the crew fought the sea monster, which was so big that it caused the submarine to list to starboard, until it vanished. But the damage was done.
Sea monster sightings
"We're certainly closer to solving the so-called mystery of UB-85 and the reason behind it's sinking - whether common mechanical failure or something that is less easily explained," Innes McCartney said.
Perhaps a large sea creature actually did disable the submarine. Gary Campbell, keeper of the Official Sightings Register of the Loch Ness Monster, believes that what the German captain said could well be true. "The area where the attack took place has a history of sea monster sightings."
Extraordinary discovery
Sea monster attack or no - "The images we get back from the subsea scans are incredibly detailed," marvels Peter Roper of ScottishPower.
And then there's the fascinating story behind the submarine. "I am probably on the side of the historians who believe that the capture of the vessel was more straightforward than a sea monster attack," Roper concludes. "That 'a sea monster attacked my submarine' may be one of the most fanciful excuses of all time."
World War I on the big screen
From an Oscar-winning silent film in 1927 to a Steven Spielberg blockbuster in 2011, World War I has made its mark on the silver screen. DW takes a look.
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Silent victor
"Wings" (1927) was the first and only silent movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture. Directed by William A. Wellman, the US movie follows the triumphs and tragedies of two fighter pilots. Gary Cooper (not pictured) played a small role that launched his Hollywood career.
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Disillusioned heroes
"All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930) is a US anti-war movie. Directed by Lewis Milestone, the film was based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque about young boys going off to war and their ensuing disillusionment.
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Real-life laurels
"Sergeant York" (1941) is a US biographical film directed by Howard Hawks. It chronicles country boy Alvin York who becomes a hero thanks to his excellent marksmanship. York was played by actor Gary Cooper, who won an Oscar for his role.
Stanley Kubrick directed the US movie "Paths of Glory" in 1957. The film stars Kirk Douglas and highlights the futility of war and a mutiny in a French Army unit. Some critics say it is the most powerful anti-war movie ever made.
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Cinematic legend
"Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) is a British movie celebrated by some as one of the most influential films of all times. Directed by David Lean, the film stars Peter O'Toole and details the French and British plan to turn Arabs against Turkish rule.
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Solemn portrayal
The Australian war effort is represented in "Gallipoli" (1981). Directed by Peter Weir, the movie stars a young Mel Gibson and tells of Australians joining the war in Turkey and how they suffer from their leaders' mistakes - namely the fateful Battle of the Nek, where Australian forces suffered heavy losses against the Ottomans.
"In Love and War" (1996). The US romance, directed by Richard Attenborough, is about Ernest Hemingway's experience as an ambulance driver in Italy during WWI. Hemingway, played by Chris O'Donnell, falls deeply in love with Agnes von Kurowsky, a nurse at the hospital, played by Sandra Bullock.
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One silent night
"Joyeux Noel" (2005), directed by Christian Carion, is a European co-production showcasing the 1914 Christmas truce between French, Scottish and German soldiers. For one day, the troops put down their arms and emerged from the trenches to play a soccer game against each other. It features Daniel Brühl and Diane Kruger and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe as "Best Foreign Language Film."
"Red Baron" is a 2008 German movie about legendary German fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen, played by Matthias Schweighöfer. The biopic was directed by German director, Nikolai Müllerschön, and filmed in English to increase its international marketability.
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A children's book
Steven Spielberg tackled the topic with "War Horse," a 2011 US film about the friendship between a young boy, Albert, and his horse, Joey. After Joey is sold to the cavalry, Albert voluntarily enlists in WWI, which takes him on a transnational journey across Europe. The movie is based on a 1982 children's book and a 2007 play.