More than 100 years ago, a German crew aboard a submarine during World War I mistakenly ran aground in northern France. The 26 Germans promptly surrendered and abandoned the submarine, which completely sank into the sandy muck by the 1930s.
But now, shifting sands are slowly revealing the submarine, officially known as UC-61, and turning it into a tourist attraction, according to the BBC.
Since December 2018, two sections of the submarine have been visible at low tide on a beach in Wissant, a city near Calais.
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But this isn't the first time beachgoers have gotten a glimpse of the submarine, which sank in July 1917. [Photos: WWI-Era German Submarine Wreck Discovered Off Scotland Coast]
"The wreck is visible briefly every two to three years, depending on the tides and the wind that leads to sand movements," Bernard Bracq, the mayor of Wissant, told the BBC. "But [get] a good gust of wind, and the wreck will disappear again."
Others, however, remain more optimistic. Vincent Schmitt, a local tour guide, said that strong winds and tides could reveal even more of the WWI sub. "All the residents of Wissant knew there was a submarine here, but the wreck is mostly silted and therefore invisible," Schmitt told the BBC. "Pieces reappear from time to time, but this is the first time we [have] discover[ed] so much."
During World War I, German submarines — called U-boats — sank hundreds of Allied vessels. Before it ran ashore, UC-61 is thought to have sunk at least 11 ships, either by laying mines or shooting torpedoes, the BBC reported.
On its last mission, UC-61 left Zeebrugge, Belgium, with the intention of laying mines in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Le Havre, France. But the sub never got a chance to do that. Instead, its crew flooded and scuttled the sub before they waved the white flag to the French.
Originally published on Live Science.
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