Many ghost stories have their origins in the strange events that occur during wartime. One of the most bizarre is about the haunted German submarine UB-65.
She was built in 1916 during ww1. During construction a series of accidents killed 5 men and injured several others.Although the crew was supertitious and reluctant to sail,the ship was needed badly , and so it was launched despite the ominous signs of impending doom.
During the preparations for the subs first dive,a sailor threw himself over the side without warning. The captain continued the mission as if nothing had happened. But when he tried to surface, the UB-65 would not rise, the sea water began seeping into the sub, reaching the batteries and causing them to give deadley fumes. At last , the desperate captain managed to surface with his crew almost dead from suffocation.
Back at port, the UB-65 was loading supplies when a torpedo exploded, killing 6 men including a lieutenant. Shortly after , a terrified petty officer and other sailors claimed the ghost of the dead lieutenant had come aboard. A few weeks later , while patrolling off the English coast, the ghost was spotted standing in the bows. The phantom appeared once more as the sub put into port. A few moments latter the captain was killed as enemy planes attached the harbour.
A chaplain was summoned to drive away , or exorcise, the ghost. For the next few months, the UB-65 functioned normally,. Then suddenly the chief gunner went mad when he saw the ghost and killed himself, and the day after that ,the petty officer jumped over the side. In the next battle the ship was hit. The lights inside the sub flashed wildly , and an eerie green glow filled the hull. Once more the damaged UB-65 limped back to port.
Late in the war, an American ship came across a strange sight. The crew saw the UB-65 abandoned and drifting at sea , Suddenly an explosion tore through the UB-65. Before it slid under , the figure of the ghostly officer appeared for the last time and the utter piercing cry of terror and pain came from the sub as she slid under.
Reg