UK: Wrecks of two German ships from 1919 found!

Low water levels have helped British archaeologists find the wrecks of two long-lost German ships. Both vessels had been resting on the bottom since the end of the First World War. The remains of the lost Kaiserliche Marine ships were encountered near Portsmouth Harbour as part of work on a project to restore the memory of events surrounding the First World War.

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The units found were, according to the findings, destroyers V44 and V82. The search for both vessels was conducted, among other things, by searching newspaper archives from the 1920s and comparing aerial photographs from the 1940s. With an extremely low tide and a significant change in water level, both ships were easily visible.

However, the ships did not find themselves in their present location by themselves, nor by accident. Both ships were rescued by the British, after the surrender and the attempt to sink the German fleet in Scapa Flow in 1919, and then towed to Portsmouth. It was only here that a plan was lacking on how to make proper use of the spoils of war and how to manage the former Kaiserliche Marine ships. However, life abhors a vacuum and very soon…

…units began to be looted by metal collectors and then sold in pieces at local scrap yards. Fortunately, the damage suffered in this way was minor. As time passed, the hulls of the abandoned ships filled more and more with water, until they disappeared under the surface, only to be covered by a thick layer of silt a moment later.

What is interesting, the archaeologists investigating the case hope that just such a course of the whole situation allowed to preserve at least one of the ships and part of its equipment in good condition. As it is commonly known, the anaerobic atmosphere, lack of light and low temperature can often surprise wreck seekers with the condition of the found vessels.

At the turn of April and May the next works are to start, the results of which will surely provide us with answers to many nagging questions. Until then, we can only let our imagination run wild and… refresh ourselves with a good book on the subject of wrecks of vessels which fought in World War I. Many great ships with a beautiful history are still waiting for their discoverers. After all, many great ships with a beautiful history are still waiting for their discoverers.

Source: theguardian.com