Vic Verlinden

The WWI Disaster of RMS Lusitania

May 02, 2020 - 09:55
The story is found: 
on page 17

After the Titanic, the RMS Lusitania is probably one of the wrecks in the world which most captures the imagination. It was therefore a great and challenging endeavor for me to be able to see this wreck with my own eyes.

Despite warnings from the German embassy in the American press not to start the crossing with the Lusitania, the ship was brought under steam on 1 May 1915. On board were 1,257 passengers and 702 crew members. The command was in the hands of Captain William Thomas Turner.

The Demise of SMS Szent István

January 21, 2018 - 19:21
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on page 7

During WWI, the mighty warship from the Austrian-Hungarian navy was attacked at an unexpected moment. The brave crew of two Italian torpedo boats did not falter and the Szent István was struck twice with deadly force.

It was a quiet night on 9 June 1918 when the two sister ships SMS Szent István and Tegettoff left the port of Pula (now Croatia) and set a course for Dubrovnik.

The Graf Zeppelin

July 06, 2016 - 15:39
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on page 6

— Diving Hitler’s Aircraft Carrier

There have been a few times during my life as a diver that I have had the opportunity to dive an extraordinary wreck. The Graf Zeppelin is one such wreck. It is more than a shipwreck, it is also one of the great mysteries of World War II.

Battle of Jutland: North Sea WWI Wrecks

January 17, 2015 - 18:24
The story is found: 
on page 29

The Battle of Jutland in 1916 was the biggest naval battle in World War I. Over two days of combat, 25 warships were sunk. Undertaking a diving expedition to this isolated place was a real adventure.

Two years before this expedition, I had booked a trip with a team from England to dive the wrecks of Jutland (in the North Sea, near the western coast of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula), but this trip was cancelled at the last moment because the expedition ship’s permit was not in order.

HMS Warrior II

January 06, 2015 - 21:08
The story is found: 
on page 7

During the two world wars, many private vessels were confiscated by the British Royal Navy. These luxury yachts were often employed during dangerous missions, which did not always end well.

The HMS Warrior II, once formerly named "Goizeko Izarra", was built in 1904 in Troon, Scotland, as a luxury steam yacht for a private owner. The ship was 284 feet (84 meters) long, an extraordinary size for this type of ship.

Battleship España

August 31, 2014 - 12:27
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The story is found: 
on page 8

The battleship España has a very important place in the history of the Basque Country of northern Spain and is now a protected monument at the bottom of the sea.

In August 1915, the battleship was originally christened the Alphonso XIII after the current king of Spain, in the shipyard of Vickers-Ferrol and had two sister ships named España and Jaime I.

Operation Deadlight

June 30, 2014 - 12:26
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on page 11

At the end of Second World War, the allied forces were in possession of 120 German U-boats. They decided to let them sink in the deep water of the Atlantic Ocean during a special operation for this purpose.

On the January 30, the U-2511 finished its test trip in the Bay of Dantzig with Adelbert Schnee and his crew who already had a lot of experience with U-boats. He also commanded successfully the U-201 with which he sunk several ships.