Underwater footage captured by divers finally proves that the wreck of a World War II British submarine located off the coast of Malta two years ago is the HMS Urge – putting to rest decades of speculation that the vessel sank in Libyan waters. The footage shows the ghostly outline of the word ‘Urge’ etched into the side of the sunken submarine that is now covered in colonies of soft and hard corals, known as gorgonians. “We already knew this was the wreck of Urge, but to see the letters so clearly gives important further clarity. The commitment of the University of Malta team to this work means a lot to the families of those lost on HMS Urge,” said Francis Dickenson, the grandson of HMS Urge’s captain, Lieutenant-Commander Edward P Tomkinson. Divers also captured the area where the submarine was hit by the mine that sunk it 79 years ago. “The damage was where it was expected to be: on the starboard waterline. The blast penetrated both layers of the submarine which means water went inside. This means that any organic material – like fabric and human remains – would have only been preserved if covered in silt,” explained Prof. Timmy Gambin from the University’s Department of...