THE HAUNTED SUBMARINE

Everybody has heard around the world about a story of haunted-boats sailing across the seas full of dead pirats. But do you know the story of this true haunted german submarine named The Unterseeboot B-65 or UB65?

In commemoration of the first war of 1914-1918, it seems advisable to tell you the story of this incredible submarine. The UB65 was a German Type UB III U-boat commissioned in 1917 and which sank 9 ships. On July 31, 1918, the official German Naval published this official statement: "One of our submarines, the UB-65, is missing and must be considered as lost with 34 officers and men of crew." Banal official statement... At the end of four years of war, there was nearly 200 disappeared German submarines.

But the UB65 submarine was very special and its story too. It has the reputation to be cursed. It was also said on the harbour and in the arsenal of Bruges (Flandres) where it has been built, that it was haunted. And even, its disappareance is full of mystery and supernatural.

Indeed, since 1916, a curious fate stuck to this submarine: two workers died after being crushed by a beam and three ones died also asphyxiated in the engine room. People began to speak about the evil eye. Admiral von Schröder chaired to its launching in Summer 1917. Before the first diving, the commander of the UB-65 sent a mecanician to check the hull. The man left and nobody never saw him again. One thought he threw himself into the sea. During diving, the submarine suddenly did not answer any more to the commands and went down into the Sea-of-North. During 12 hours, the crew tried vainly to make it going up. Whereas sailors were asphyxiating because of the lack of oxygen, suddenly, the UB-65 went up on the surface. At the arsenal of Bruges, it was impossible to understand the damage which appeared unexplainable. When the UB-65 was to be armed, a torpedo exploded which killed five members of the crew. The shredded body of the second lieutenant was buried with the honors of the war.

People began to murmur that a ghost was haunting the submarine. A few days after whereas technicians went on checking the entire parts, the first lieutenant, mad with fear, started to howl: "The dead is alive... the dead is again alive... he is upstairs at the prow..." He was speaking about the second lieutenant who died a few days before. Nevertheless the submarine went at sea and fought its first battle victoriously. One night, the watcher alerted the commander because a member of the crew was on the prow. Together, they recognized the dead Command in second who stood and looked at them, then disappeared. Returning to the port, the UB-65 fought again two times victoriously.

The Commander wrote all these events in his diary and even, told this to Amiral von Schröder. Unfortunately, the Commander of the UB-65 died victim of an english bombardment and the diary was transmitted to the Amiral who decided to investigate. As a result, at the end of 1917, a priest came discreetly to exorcize this submarine.

During its second campaign, this submarine distinguished itself for its naval victories. But also, it distinguished itself for the supernatural events which occured inside. They induced the new Commander to make a new report showing undoubtedly that there was a ghost on board.

A new Commander took the commandment of the submarine. His name was Schelle. During Spring 1918, hysteria seized all the crew who panicked because of the ghost onboard. At the end of June, Germany had lost the war but this incredible submarine went on to fight. It left a harbour at the North-West of Germany with a crew of 34 men composed of the Commander Schelle and young men of 20-years old. Then, the naval basis lost completely information.

During mid July 1918, an american submarine saw the wreck of the UB-65 flooting by the drift of the current. There was a German officer standing in front, his arms crossed on the chest. Almost at once, an explosion destroyed the UB-65 and its hull disappeared in the floods of the Sea-of-North for ever.

Sometimes, reality makes fiction super tedious.