Unterseeboot B-65

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Unterseeboot B-65 or UB65 was a German Type UB III U-boat commissioned on August 18, 1917 that sank 9 ships before it was lost off the north coast of Cornwall. An expedition mounted in 2004 as part of the Channel 4 Wreck Detectives underwater archaeological TV series to survey a previously unidentified U-boat wreck that had been located earlier during a routine survey by the Royal Navy confirmed the identity of the boat as UB-65. Inspection of the wreck by submarine archaeologist Innes McCartney and U Boat historial Dr. Axel Niestlé (through identification of design features and identification numbers that were stamped on one of her propellers) proved conclusively that the wreck was that of UB-65. A survey of the wreck showed no indication of loss through weapon attack although the aft hatches are open indicating an attempt by at least some of the crew to escape from the vessel. This led to a conclusion that she was most likely lost through accidental causes on or after July 14, 1918 (the date of the sinking of a Portuguese vessel in the Padstow area). All of her crew of 37 were listed as lost. The class has been said to have been accident prone and difficult to control when diving, thus it is possible the boat lost control while diving and hit the sea bed. Having been identified as UB-65 the wreck was given protected status under British shipwreck archaeological laws on November 1st 2006.

The identification of the Padstow u-boat wreck corrected the earlier accepted version of UB-65's loss. According to official German Naval records the boat was presumed lost following a premature explosion of one of her own torpedoes on July 10, 1918, south of the Irish coast. According to US Naval records it is suggested that she may have been hit by a torpedo from another uboat in the area or was struck by her own malfunctioning torpedo or struck a mine. A distress call was apparently intercepted before she exploded.

RECORD ITEM Y1022 ROLL ONI ROLL
PG 61825 58 TA-17-D Admiralstab der Marine, Abt. A, KTB, Band 1, U.B.65 der V.U.Flottille und der II. U. Flottille.
Kommandant: Kaptlt. Schelle.
U.B.65 conducted operations in the Irish Sea, the western Hebrides, and Saint George's Channel. U.B.65 sank among other vessels an unidentified British armed vessel (probably the sloop Arbutus) on Dec 15, 1917; the Norwegian steamer "Havana" (1,150 t), Mar 5, 1928; and the British steamer "Pensilva" (4,316 t), May 4, 1918. U.B.65 departed from Helgoland Jul 2, 1918, for war operations and was accidentally sunk on Jul 10, 1918.

_{National Archives and Records Service U.S. General Services Administration Washington:1984}

It is the subject of many tales of ghosts.[1]