Fitch affirms Saudi Arabia's A+ credit rating with stable outlook    Russia probes air safety violations after fatal An-24 crash in Amur region    Saudi Arabia publishes new law allowing foreigners to own property    SCO media and think tank summit builds bridges to confront shared challenges    Iran, EU hold 'serious' nuclear talks in Istanbul    Macron's recognition of Palestine draws European support    Saudi Arabia sees 144% surge in new mining exploitation licenses in H1 2025    Over 424,000 Saudis enroll in AI training as SDAIA scales national transformation    Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers to discuss Islamic unity and extremism    Saudi Arabia offers condolences to Russia over fatal plane crash in Amur region    Saudi Arabia restores over 170 hectares of mangrove forests in major reforestation projects    25 hospitality facilities shut down in Makkah over licensing and safety violations    Harbinger Group becomes first foreign owner in Saudi Pro League    Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies at 71 in Florida    Female HR exec resigns after viral Coldplay concert embrace with CEO    Ithra announces open call for 7th Ithra Art Prize with expanded exhibition format    Al Ahli steps in for Al Hilal at Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong    Music stars and fans pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne    Shahad Ameen's Hijra selected for 82nd Venice Film Festival spotlight    Al Hilal withdraws from 2025 Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong; SAFF to consider Al Ahli as replacement    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Lost WW2 British submarine found sunk off the coast of Malta
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 31 - 10 - 2019

The wreck of a British submarine, which vanished at the height of World War II, has been discovered lying at the bottom of the sea off Malta, university marine archaeologists said on Thursday.
HMS Urge had been based with other submarines in Malta and had carried out several deadly missions when the British navy ordered it and rest of the flotilla to redeploy to Egypt because of a relentless German siege of the Mediterranean island.
Urge set sail on April 27, 1942, carrying a 32-strong crew, 11 other naval personnel and a journalist. However, it failed to reach Alexandria on the agreed rendezvous date of May 6 and its fate has always been a mystery — until now.
A team from the University of Malta, which has spent two decades surveying the local seas, said that at the request of the grandson of Urge's commander, they combed an area this summer that had once been heavily mined by Nazi forces.
A sonar image revealed a submarine-like shape at a depth of 130 meters (425 ft) some two miles (3 km) off the coast and a subsequent search by an unmanned diving craft revealed the U-Class Submarine, with a large chunk of its bow missing.
"The damage to the bow shows a very violent explosion ... indicating that the ship would have sunk very fast giving no chance to anybody to survive from this tragedy," said professor Timmy Gambin, who led the university mission.
"Besides the damage on the bow, the wreck is in absolutely fantastic condition. It is sitting upright on the seabed, very proud, in the direction that it was ordered to take on its way to Alexandria," he told Maltese broadcaster PBS.
The university said the British defence ministry had reviewed their material and confirmed it was the wreck of Urge.
Gambin told Reuters that the submarine must have been hit by a mine while it was still sailing on the surface, shortly after leaving Malta under the cover of darkness.
A ceremony is planned for April to declare the site an official war grave at which Gambin said he hoped the daughter of the Urge's captain, Lieutenant-Commander E.P. Tomkinson, would be present.
In 2015, a Belgian diver claimed to have discovered the submarine off the coast of Libya, but he was never able to provide decisive evidence.
HMS Urge was part of the Royal Navy's 10th flotilla, known as the fighting 10th, which chalked up numerous successful attacks against enemy shipping in the Mediterranean.
Just days before it vanished, Urge sunk the Italian cruiser Giovanni Delle Bande Nere near Sicily. In a strange coincidence, The Italian military said in March that the lost warship was also discovered this year at a depth of more than 1,400 metres.
Amongst those on board the Urge when it went down was war reporter Bernard Gray — the only British journalist believed to have died on a submarine during World War II. — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.