WWI submarine was 'attacked by monster'

Experts move a step closer to uncovering the mystery of the German submarine 'attacked by a sea monster' in WW1

A German captain is believed to have claimed a sea monster attacked his ship
A German captain is believed to have claimed a sea monster attacked his ship Credit: TODD MARSHALL/UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

Sam Dean

19 October 2016 • 12:01am

It is one of the strangest mysteries of the first world war - a story of intrigue, drama and sea monsters large enough to destroy a submarine.

But now experts believe they may be a step closer to unravelling what really happened to a German ship that was sunk in curious circumstances by a British boat off the coast of Scotland.

A £1 billion venture by ScottishPower and the National Grid to lay a subsea power cable big enough to connect Scotland and England has led to the discovery of the wreck of a German U-boat near Wigtownshire in south-west Scotland.

Experts believe it may be the remains of a UB-85 submarine that, according to folklore, was attacked by an enormous sea monster towards the end of World War I.