Researchers announced this week that wreckage believed to be from a British submarine that sank during World War II has been discovered off the coast of Norway. The discovery was made in the spring of 2023 but was only recently identified as the HMS Thistle. The Norway Institute of Marine Research and MAREANO, a program that maps seabeds, made the find during a routine cruise. Strange structures on the seabed caught the researchers’ attention, prompting a closer investigation with an underwater camera, leading to the identification of the wreck.
“During the planning of our cruise, we observed peculiar structures and decided to investigate further. This ultimately led to the discovery of the wreck,” said senior engineer Kjell Bakkeplass in the news release. The Institute of Marine Research shared a video showcasing the underwater wreck.
After examining the wreck, Bakkeplass and the research team sought to determine its identity. Through conversations with the British and Norwegian navies, they established that it was a British submarine and narrowed down the possibilities. Submarine experts, maritime museums, and other professionals were consulted and concluded that it was likely the HMS Thistle.
During an October research cruise, the MAREANO program passed by the submarine wreck and confirmed its identity.