SM UB-65
German U-boat lost under disputed circumstances, subject of haunting legends.
SM UB-65 was a Type UB III U-boat of the Imperial German Navy during World War I. Ordered on 20 May 1916, the submarine was built at the Vulkan Werke shipyard in Hamburg, launched on 26 June 1917, and commissioned on 18 August 1917 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Martin Schelle. The vessel is notable for the disputed circumstances of its loss and for persistent legends of a haunting.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Type UB III U-boat
- Ordered
- 20 May 1916
- Launched
- 26 June 1917
- Commissioned
- 18 August 1917
- Commander
- Kapitänleutnant Martin Schelle
- Crew lost
- 37
- Fate
- Lost off Padstow, Cornwall on or after 14 July 1918
Facts from the source article.
Rediscovery
An expedition in 2004, part of the Channel 4 Wreck Detectives underwater archaeological TV series, surveyed a previously unidentified U-boat wreck located earlier during a routine Royal Navy survey. Nautical archaeologist Innes McCartney and U-boat historian Dr. Axel Niestlé confirmed the wreck as UB-65 by identifying design features such as the deck gun type and stamped numbers on a propeller. The wreck showed no obvious signs of weapon attack, though damage assessment expert David Manley noted that shock from depth charges could have caused internal failures not visible externally.
The aft hatches were open, suggesting a possible escape attempt. Observations combined with historical handling difficulties of the class led to the conclusion that the boat was most likely lost through accidental causes on or after 14 July 1918, the date a Portuguese vessel sank in the Padstow area. All 37 crew were lost. The wreck received protected place status under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 on 1 November 2006.
Previous beliefs regarding loss
Official German Naval records stated UB-65 was presumed lost after a premature explosion of one of its own torpedoes on 10 July 1918 south of the Irish coast. United States Navy records reported that the submarine USS L-2 SS-41, under Captain Paul F. Foster, observed a listing German submarine near Fastnet Rock that was later identified as UB-65. Before the American submarine could fire a torpedo, the crippled vessel was torn apart by a huge explosion, rose on its bows, and sank.
No survivors or bodies were recovered; the sound of small propellers and an underwater signalling device was heard briefly after the explosion. The cause of the explosion was not known. UB-65 had conducted operations in the Irish Sea, the western Hebrides, and St George's Channel, sinking among other vessels the sloop HMS Arbutus on 15 December 1917, the Norwegian steamer Havana on 5 March 1918, and the British steamer Pensilva on 4 May 1918. The boat departed Heligoland on 2 July 1918 for war operations and was accidentally sunk on 10 July 1918 according to German records.
Allegations of haunting
UB-65 is the subject of many tales of a ghost said to be the second officer, Lieutenant Richter, who was killed when a torpedo exploded early in the U-boat's career. The building of the ship was plagued by disaster: three crew members asphyxiated by diesel fumes in the engine room, two more crushed by a falling girder, and during seaworthiness testing a crew member inspecting hatches was swept overboard and never seen again. On the first test dive a ballast tank fracture caused the submarine to sink to the bottom; after 12 hours the crew managed to raise it to the surface.
These incidents may have given rise to a belief among the crew that the ship was cursed, and it is believed the German Imperial Navy called a priest on board to exorcise the ship. Tony Allan's book Tales of Real Haunting quotes a source that an American officer thought he saw a figure in a German officer's overcoat standing near the bow with folded arms just before UB-65 went down. Researchers George Behe and Michael Goss concluded that the haunting stories were invented by journalist Hector Charles Bywater, who wrote about the subject and may have fabricated references such as a post-war pamphlet by a Dr. Hecht.
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