Found after 83 years. It lies at the bottom near Norway

A submarine that sank off the coast of the North Sea, near the Rogoland district in Norway, was found by Norwegian researchers. For 83 years, the wreckage was hidden underwater, and the location of the disaster, which caused the British vessel to cease serving in the navy, was unknown.

The ship was discovered by scientists working under the Mareano program, carefully mapping the seabed in search of flora, fauna, geological formations, as well as traces of human interference. The project was the result of a collaboration between the Institute of Marine Research, the Norwegian Geological Service, and the Norwegian Office for Cartography.

As part of the work of the participants of this venture, whose goal is to gather information on Norwegian waters, precisely determine their depth and topography, sediment composition, pollution, biotopes and habitats, as many as six wrecks were found. Locations worth sending deep-sea camera to were selected in spring, and now, in mid-October it was possible to identify specifics pertaining to the objects studied by remotely controlled video cameras. They were deployed where sonar detected larger clusters of underwater plants and structures.

One of the findings that appeared on the viewers' screens from the researchers' cameras are the remains of the British submarine HMS Thistle. The machine, with a displacement of approximately 1201 tons, served in the Royal Navy from 1939-1940.

Launched at the Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, the unit commenced operations for Great Britain during World War II. Its mission was to patrol the seas surrounding Scandinavia, to counteract the crucial supplies of iron ore from Sweden for Germany. On April 10, 1940, it was sunk by the German submarine U-4. None of the 53 crew members survived.

The wreck of the HMS Thistle is the most interesting accidental discovery of the Mareano project. The exact location of this grim war monument was not known. Historians only knew the approximate point where Thistle may have sunk.

The films also captured other traces of human exploration of the sea. In addition to sunken boats and ships, lost transport containers, as well as parts of various machines, including an aircraft engine, lie at the bottom.

Some of the six objects located on the seafloor were known to the research participants. Among them was the cargo ship Azalea. It sank in March 1990 approximately 9 miles northwest of Utsira. Three members of the rescue team died in the incident.

All of the findings that will remain at the bottom of the North Sea will be taken care of by a nearby museum in Stavanger, which documents such underwater relics. Four previously unknown wreckages will now be added to the museum's register. The Tristle remains the property of the United Kingdom.