Archaeologists say they have discovered the wreckage of a British submarine that disappeared at the height of World War II on the seabed off the coast of Malta.
The ERG was stationed along with other submarines in Malta and carried out several missions when the British navy and the rest of the fleet ordered it to move to Egypt due to the German blockade of the Mediterranean island.
Erge sailed on April 27, 1942 with 32 crew members, 11 military personnel and one journalist, but did not arrive in Alexandria as scheduled on May 6, and her fate remains unknown to this day.
A team from the University of Malta, who spent 20 years surveying the island's coastal areas, said that at the request of the submarine's grandson, they conducted a survey this summer of an area heavily mined by Nazi troops.
Specialized imaging revealed a submarine-like object at a depth of 130 meters, about three kilometers from the coast, and then dives found the submarine, but without much of the front.
"Damage to the front of the submarine reveals a very violent explosion," said Professor Timmy Gambin, head of the university mission.
He told Reuters she was hit by a mine while still sailing on the water shortly after leaving Malta under cover of darkness.