Dutch find sub sunk in 1917

Published on Wednesday 16 March 2011 14:30

The wreck of a German First World War submarine sunk by a mine on its maiden voyage has been discovered and the remains will become an official war grave, the Dutch defence ministry has announced.

The wreck of the U-106 is lying on the seabed 130ft under water, 40 miles north of Terschelling, an island in the Wadden Sea off the northern Netherlands.

The sub sank in October 1917 after hitting a mine with the loss of all 41 crew. The 233ft sub fell foul of an allied minefield in the North Sea at the end of its first voyage, during which it had torpedoed two British ships.

Normally the German U-boats would be guided through the mines by a surface ship capable of detecting the explosives, but on its ill-fated voyage the sub ran into a newly laid British mine.