The UC-70 (Wreck)
United Kingdom /
England /
Whitby /
World
/ United Kingdom
/ England
/ Whitby
shipwreck, invisible
Pilot Lieutenant Arthur Waring of 246 Squadron RAF hauled his new Blackburn Kangaroo bomber into the air at the end of the runway of Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool. His take-off was timed at 3pm on 28 August, 1918. The 920lb bomb load made him keep full boost on both engines as he climbed out to sea to start another anti-submarine patrol.
There were only eight Kangaroos in service in World War One, all at Seaton Carew. That month they had sighted 11 U-boats and attacked each one, but Lt Waring was about to give 246 Squadron its first U-boat kill.
At 3.30, Waring spotted a long track of oil on the glassy sea off Whitby. On the seabed at the head of that slick he saw a long, dark object, stationary. Waring dived straight along the oil line and dropped a 520lb bomb at its source. Huge air bubbles and more oil gushed to the surface.
The destroyer HMS Ouse saw the explosion and raced to the attack. Waring guided her in with flares, and Ouse released 10 depth charges into the centre of the black patch. More oil and air welled up, and it was clear from other debris that the submarine was finished.
A fortnight later RN divers led by Petty Officer Dusty Miller found the wreck. They entered and identified it as UC-70 of the Second Flanders Flotilla. She had left Zeebrugge for the Whitby area on 21 August, commanded by Oberleutnant Karl Dobberstein. She was believed to have been damaged in a new British minefield off the Yorkshire coast and to have been effecting repairs when spotted. There were no survivors from her crew of 31.
There were only eight Kangaroos in service in World War One, all at Seaton Carew. That month they had sighted 11 U-boats and attacked each one, but Lt Waring was about to give 246 Squadron its first U-boat kill.
At 3.30, Waring spotted a long track of oil on the glassy sea off Whitby. On the seabed at the head of that slick he saw a long, dark object, stationary. Waring dived straight along the oil line and dropped a 520lb bomb at its source. Huge air bubbles and more oil gushed to the surface.
The destroyer HMS Ouse saw the explosion and raced to the attack. Waring guided her in with flares, and Ouse released 10 depth charges into the centre of the black patch. More oil and air welled up, and it was clear from other debris that the submarine was finished.
A fortnight later RN divers led by Petty Officer Dusty Miller found the wreck. They entered and identified it as UC-70 of the Second Flanders Flotilla. She had left Zeebrugge for the Whitby area on 21 August, commanded by Oberleutnant Karl Dobberstein. She was believed to have been damaged in a new British minefield off the Yorkshire coast and to have been effecting repairs when spotted. There were no survivors from her crew of 31.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 54°30'48"N -0°40'4"E
- Robin Hoods Bay 12 km
- Cayton Bay 35 km
- Wallsend 78 km
- Newcastle Quayside 79 km
- Path of Victoria Tunnel (Approx) 81 km
- New Outfall for New sewerage farm 91 km
- Druridge Bay 106 km
- Blea Moor Tunnel 114 km
- The Acclivity (Wreck) 121 km
- Budle Bay 143 km
- Whitby Golf Course 2.9 km
- Whitby C.P. 4.6 km
- Eskdaleside Old Alum Works 8 km
- Leith Rigg House 12 km
- Billera Farm 14 km
- Pond Farm 14 km
- Howedale Farm 15 km
- Former tank training ground 16 km
- Woodside Farm 16 km
- Harwood Dale Forest 19 km
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