News

The wreck of a First World War German submarine buried in the English Channel six miles off Dover since 1918 has been moved to deeper waters to prevent it posing a risk to large vessels passing overhead, it was revealed today (28 July).

The UB38 U-boat which had been undisturbed since its sinking, was moved because of growing concern over the increasingly deep draught of modern vessels navigating the English Channel, one of the world's busiest waterways.

Divers for Trinity House, which holds responsibility for marking shipping lanes and maintaining lighthouses, buoys and beacons in England and Wales - found in a 2006 survey that the U-boat could present a hazard.

A salvage consortium, led by Florida-based Titan group, relocated the wreck to deeper waters in the Channel earlier this month.

'This was a very delicate job with a lot of history that needed to be preserved,' said Mark Hoddinott of Titan Europe.

The UB38 sank after it ran into a minefield while trying to flee British destroyers, sinking the submarine with 27 crew on board.