German WW2 submarine discovered by divers off UK coast – 82 years after it was sunk by Royal Navy ship’s ‘hedgehog’

A GERMAN U-boat sunk by British “hedgehog” weapons 82 years ago has been discovered off the coast of Devon. Divers searching for an unconfirmed wreck had a “jackpot moment” as they found the World War Two vessel in the English Channel. Divers have discovered a German war time submarine 20 miles off the coast of Devon Credit: SWNS Dom Robinson and his team search the wreckage of the German U-boat Credit: SWNS The Gasperados diving team sank nearly 70 meters down to the seabed before following fish to the ghostly sub. Leader Dom Robinson said: “We didn’t quite expect to find it there, and in fact this was our second attempt trying to find the ship. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! “It was a jackpot moment to find it – and I couldn’t stop thinking about how scary it must be to be in those times. “We lost so many boats around D Day – it must be so scary having your submarine fill with water as people try to kill you from the surface.” The team spent three hours underwater searching the wreck site Credit: SWNS The wreck was identified as a German U-boat sunk during World War Two Credit: SWNS The wreck was initially categorised as an unidentified U boat by Ian Taylor’s Skin Deep diving team. But it was also suspected to be a WWI sailing vessel. After consulting naval historian Axel Niestlé, Dom’s team identified the wreck as U 672, a Type VIIC submarine that sank after being attacked by HMS Balfour on July 18, 1944. Dom, a former British Army officer and helicopter pilot, said: “During World War II, we used these weapons called hedgehogs, which were basically these mortars used to sink ships. Most read in The Sun Dom Robinson and the Gasperados diving team capture Credit: SWNS The wreck was found to be U 672 a Type VIIC submarine lost in 1944 Credit: SWNS “A hedgehog weapon would be fired in front of the ship, they would sink and attach to the submarines, causing them to fill with water due to holes in the framework. “This particular ship held 52 crew members – all of which miraculously survived. “When the crew realised they were filling with water – it became very apparent they couldn’t pump the water out as fast as it was filling – or drive home. “So, they waited until dark to rise to the water’s surface – where they got on little dinghies. They were rescued and interviewed about what happened – hence why we know the story to this day.” The team only spent around 25 minutes on the sea floor but the whole mission took three hours due to having to compress and decompress as a result of being so far down. They were shocked to find the wreck’s location was out by 40 miles. Dom, 55, said: “When we first got down, I saw this angler fish with all its teeth – we followed that down to see a rope with an octopus who ran into a school of fish – that’s when we knew we had found the wreck. “When you are trying to identify a wreck you need to get a good look for what could be an iconic sign of a specific boat. “For us that included things such as a unique Schnorkel system – that really pointed towards being a U 672.” Dom and his team are used to finding treasured vessels lost at sea, including the US Coastguard Cutter Tampa in April. But the find 20 miles off the coast of Salcombe is especially rare because there are few U-Boats left to give up their secrets. “It is incredibly exciting to identify something that has been missing for so long,” Dom said. “For me and my team these moments happen very rarely – and these finds also help us track down and have better guesswork of where more may be. “Not many government bodies seem to be too bothered about finding these wrecks, so I started sharing them on social media and YouTube. “Having so many views as I do means a lot – people love the mystery and the adventure – and I think U boats really have that excitement to them.” Comment now