The 'Mewstone Submarine'
The Mewstone Submarine is listed as a dive site in Kendall McDonald's popular dive guide 'Dive South Devon'(1):
"The report of this small German submarine jammed into a gulley at this popular diving site - and with her bow in only 12m of water - was the Devon diving sensation of 1984.The wreck is said to be that of a World War I German U-boat. She is about 100ft long and is at an angle of 45 degrees in the gulley which runs down from the sub's bow in 12m to her stern in 26m just south of the Little Mewstone. There are no periscopes to be seen and no propeller, although the boss is still there."
The submarine does actually exist but its not on the Mewstone; it is actually the submarine M2 which lies off Portland, UK. This image above was used to encourage students on the Hydrography course at Plymouth Polytechnic to do their practical survey work properly. The instructor would show the students the side scan sonar image below and say 'This is what last year's course found, see if you can find it too...'. Many survey practical reports from the Polytechnic at that time are titled 'From the Elk to the Mewstone Submarine'. This story made its way to the diving community and from there to the local diving guide.
If you have any more information about this ship then please contact us.
Images
The side scan image of the 'Mewstone Submarine' |
The real M2 submarine |
References
(1) McDonald K., 1987, Dive South Devon, Underwater World Publications Ltd., ISBN 0 946020 11 6
