A German submarine scuttled more than 100 years ago off the coast of France has been revealed by shifting sands.

>> Read more trending news

The UC-61, a German U-boat, sank 11 merchant ships during seven months of activity during World War I, according to the Wreck Site, a database of wrecked ships. The vessel was stranded in July 1917, and by the 1930s, it had for the most part been buried under sand.

"The wreck is visible briefly every two to three years, depending on the tides and the wind that leads to sand movements, but a good gust of wind and the wreck will disappear again," Bernard Bracq, the mayor of Wissant, told the BBC.

On its final mission, the crew was laying mines on the way to Boulogne-sur-Mer when it ran aground. The 26 members of the crew then surrendered to French authorities.

About the Author

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT