SM UB - 65 SM " UB - 65 " was a Type UB III U - boat of the Imperial German Navy during World War I . Ordered on 20 May 1916 , the U - boat was built at the Vulkan Werke shipyard in Hamburg , launched on 26 June 1917 , and commissioned on 18 August 1917 , under the command of Kapitänleutnant Martin Schelle . Service history . During her active career she sailed on six war patrols , sinking six merchant ships and damaging six more . She also sank the British . The U - boat was lost off Padstow , Cornwall on or after 14 July 1918 with the loss of all her 37 crew . Rediscovery . An expedition mounted in 2004 as part of the Channel 4 " Wreck Detectives " underwater archaeological TV series to survey a previously unidentified U - boat wreck that had been located earlier at , during a routine survey by the Royal Navy , confirmed the identity of the boat as " UB - 65 " . Inspection of the wreck by nautical archaeologist Innes McCartney and U - boat historian Dr . Axel Niestlé ( through identification of design features such as the type of deck gun , and identification numbers that were stamped on one of her propellers ) proved conclusively that the wreck was that of " UB - 65 " . A survey of the wreck showed no obvious indication of weapon attack being the cause of loss ( although this could not be ruled out ; damage assessment expert author determined that shock damage from a depth charge attack could have caused loss through failure of internal seawater systems and hull penetrations that would not be obvious from an external examination ) . The aft hatches are open indicating a possible attempt by at least some of the crew to escape from the vessel . Consideration of the various observations of the wreck , along with historical observations regarding depth control and handling difficulties on diving experienced by other boats of the class , led to a conclusion that she was most likely lost through accidental causes on or after 14 July 1918 , the date of the sinking of a Portuguese vessel in the Padstow area . All of her crew of 37 were listed as lost . Having been identified as " UB - 65 " the wreck was given " protected place " status under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 on 1 November 2006 . Previous beliefs regarding loss . The identification of the Padstow U - boat wreck corrected the earlier accepted version of " UB - 65 ' s " loss . According to official German Naval records the boat was presumed lost following a premature explosion of one of her own torpedoes on 10 July 1918 , south of the Irish coast . According to United States Navy records it was reported that , whilst returning from patrol and near Fastnet Rock , the U . S . submarine observed a submarine periscope , followed by an explosion . The sound of small propellers and an underwater signalling device could be heard for a short while after the explosion . The identity of the submarine and the cause of the explosion was not known . After the war the identity of the boat was presumed to be " UB - 65 " ; cause of loss was unknown but a mine or torpedo from another submarine in the area , or sinking by one of her own torpedoes that malfunctioned were assumed . RECORD ITEM Y1022 ROLL ONI ROLLPG 61825 58 TA - 17 - D Admiralstab der Marine , Abt . A , KTB , Band 1 , U . B . 65 der V . U . Flottille und der II . U . Flottille . < br > Kommandant : Kaptlt . Schelle . U . B . 65 conducted operations in the Irish Sea , the western Hebrides , and St George ' s Channel . U . B . 65 sank among other vessels an unidentified British armed vessel ( probably the sloop ) on 15 December 1917 ; the Norwegian steamer " Havana " ( 1 , 150 t ) , 5 March 1918 ; and the British steamer " Pensilva " ( 4 , 316 t ) , 4 May 1918 . U . B . 65 departed from Heligoland 2 July 1918 , for war operations and was accidentally sunk on 10 July 1918 . Allegations of haunting . It is the subject of many tales of a ghost , said to be the second officer , Lieutenant Richter , who was killed when a torpedo exploded fairly early in the U - boat ' s career . Indeed , the building of the ship was plagued by disaster , including of asphyxiation of three crew members by diesel fumes in the engine room and the crushing of two more by a falling girder . While the UB - 65 was being tested for seaworthiness , one of the crew members was swept overboard when he was inspecting the hatches . He was never seen again . During the first test dive of the UB - 65 , a fracture occurred in a ballast tank , causing the submarine to sink to the bottom of the sea . The crew lacked any means of renewing the oxygen in the vessel and after 12 hours the crew finally managed to raise the submarine to the surface of the ocean . These incidents may have given rise to a belief among the crew that the ship was curse d . As no one wanted to board or be stationed on the ship , it is believed that the German Imperial Navy called a priest on board to exorcise the ship .