GERMANY (1 Sep 2001) -- An 85-year-old mystery is closer to being solved after divers found the wreck of a British submarine that vanished during the First World War. It has been identified as the ill-fated E16 which disappeared with the loss of 31 lives. Underwater cameraman and divers on the expedition Sascha Kellersohn believe it had been torpedoed or mined in the North Sea. German hobby diver Rolf Schuett found the wreck earlier this year, 16 sea miles off the German coast at Helgoland when he located the propellers bearing the number E16. British authorities have confirmed the identification from photos and film footage but have been unable to identify another wreck found nearby. The E16 left Blyth, Northumbria, in 1916 on a mission to find and destroy German submarines. | | Another e-class British WWI sub, the HMS E14 Mr Kellersohn said it was unlikely it would be raised as working conditions were difficult. "The E16 was a huge ship for its time - it was 60 metres long and seven metres wide. Even though it has been down there for 80 years it's nearly perfect." SOURCE - Ananova |
