SISTERS OF SORROW

The German U-boat UB41 was built in Hamburg at the shipyard of Blohm and Voss. She was launched on May 6th 1916, and sank 8 ships during her naval career. The last time she was seen above the waves was on October 5th 1917 by the SS Melbourne in the seas off Scarborough, under the command of Oberleutnant Max Ploen.

It was always assumed that she fell victim to a mine off Scarborough, but in 2003 she was found 30 miles away from where she was thought to lie. Nearby lies UB75. Both wrecks are considered war graves, as 58 submariners went down with the vessels.

They were discovered by divers Carl Racey and Andrew Jackson, who were unable to tell whether they'd struck mines or suffered internal explosions.

According to Andrew "The early submariners of WW1 were true pioneers of submarine warfare. These vessels were hard mistresses to crew and officers alike, often referred to as Iron Coffins or Sisters of Sorrow."

Here's a video of the wreck of UB41.

See more local wrecks at the Subseatv YouTube page.

Thanks to Mark Lines for information about this fascinating subject.