Humans have been sailing for millennia, but submarines as we know them today are a more recent innovation. It takes a brave soul to journey in one of these claustrophobic underwater vessels, surrounded on all sides by the crushing pressure of the sea.

We all know about the Yellow Submarine, but most people don’t know about the following tales of intrigue and mystery from deep underwater, and sometimes right at the surface. Ghosts, sea monsters, UFOs, and skeletons aren’t just for pirate ships, or spaceships for that matter. Submarines have their own stories of unexplained lore.

10 U-505

On October 24, 1943, U-505 was bombed with depth charges by British destroyers. In the midst of the attack, Peter Zschech, the commander of the sub, shot himself in the head in front of his crew in the control room.

In an account of the day’s events, a crewman named Hans Goebler notes that Zschech didn’t fully die by the gunshot and was making loud sounds after he shot himself, making it easier for the British to locate them by sonar. He then describes someone grabbing a pillow and placing it over Zschech’s mouth, to the dismay of the crew doctor, who protested, but two other crew members held the pillow firmly until Zschech was silent.^[1]

Zschech’s second-in-command took over and led the crew through the attack, and everyone on board survived but Zschech. The entry from the logbook that day reads “Kommandant tot,” meaning “Commanding Officer dead.”

9 UB-65

Another German U-boat, this time from World War I, that had uncannily morbid luck was UB-65.

Before she set out to sea, a torpedo exploded, injuring several crewmen and killing the second officer, Lieutenant Richter. Soon after she left port, a lookout who was in the conning tower reported seeing Lieutenant Richter, returned to haunt the boat, standing on the deck. Maybe it was the long, lonely days at sea, but crewmen kept reporting sightings of him, and things got so bad that the higher-ups had to step in. The Imperial Navy ordered a pastor to kick the ghost out.^[2]

In UB-65 ’s final stroke of terrible luck, an American submarine found the U-boat along the Irish coast. As the Americans prepared to attack, they were shocked to see UB-65 explode on its own before they fired. One American officer also reported seeing a silhouette on the deck wearing a German officer’s overcoat, with folded arms, standing sturdy while the boat sank.

8 UB-85

Who doesn’t love a good sea monster story? On April 30, 1918, the crew of the German U-boat UB-85 surrendered willingly to a British patrol boat as their sub sank. The Germans’ commanding officer, Captain Krech, had a strange story about why they didn’t resist: He said that the previous night, while UB-85 was surfaced, a “strange beast” had crashed out of the water and attached itself to the deck, its enormous weight nearly sinking the boat. The beast, according to Krech, had “large eyes, set in a horny sort of skull.” The crew started firing their sidearms at it, eventually hurting it enough to weaken its grip. The monster let go, but it left the deck so damaged that UB-85 couldn’t dive.^[3]

In 2016, the wreck of UB-85 was discovered, bringing attention to what could have possibly happened back in 1918. Was it a sea monster, or something else?

Historians recently uncovered an interview with another crew member which tells us what might have really happened: Apparently, Krech had a heater installed in the officers’ quarters. The cables for this heater ran through a watertight hatch, making it vulnerable to flooding. It’s likely that Krech’s story is just a “sea monster sank my submarine” excuse for his own indiscretion, though believers still insist it was a kraken-like monster.

7 The H.L. Hunley

Picture this: It’s 2000, and you’re a diver going underwater to help pull out the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, the first combat submarine ever to sink an enemy warship. The submarine disappeared the same day it sank the USS Housatonic, on February 17, 1864.

When you get to peek inside the craft, you are struck by the sight of eight skeletons, each manning a respective submarine station, none of which appear to have been alarmed by sinking or have moved from their posts. What could have caused them to stay where they were, perfectly preserved in a strange image of action?

The answer scientists found is that the H.L. Hunley suffered from the explosion of its own torpedo, which was detonated by ramming the Housatonic, knocking them unconscious. Unable to guide the sub or do anything else, they remained at their stations, not to be discovered for 136 years.^[4] The H.L. Hunley came to rest about 300 meters (1,000 ft) away from the wreck of the Housatonic.

6 USS Trepang

Submarines are the last place you would think you’d see a UFO. But in 2015, mysterious photographs published to the French magazine Top Secret showed just that: a cigar-shaped unidentified flying object.^[5]

The photos were reportedly taken in March 1971 by an officer aboard the Trepang in the middle of the ocean between Iceland and Jan Mayen, a barely inhabited Norwegian island. At the time, the Trepang was conducting a routine expedition and apparently found the UFO by accident, as it was spotted through the periscope by officer John Klika.

A British UFO investigator named Nigel Watson has said that similar-looking cigar-shaped aircraft have been spotted and reported since 1896, and reports have come from all across the world. While he is skeptical of the authenticity of the photographs, we can dream, right?

5 Quester I

Have you ever seen the shipwrecks on Coney Island Creek in New York City? They look like skeletons could pop out at any moment. The most unusual of these ships is a submarine that has a rusty orangish-yellow conning tower sticking up. This submarine, called the Quester I, was built for a purpose that never ended up being fulfilled: to rescue treasure from a sunken ocean liner that lies under the Atlantic off the coast of Massachusetts, the Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.

In the late 1960s, Jerry Bianco set about building a submarine that could submerge to the sunken ship and salvage the valuables. He painted the sub yellow not because of the famous Beatles song but because the yellow paint was the best deal he could find.

On October 19, 1970, after four years of hard work, the sub was lowered into Coney Island Creek. The crane operator wasn’t supposed to lower the sub entirely into the water, but he did. Bianco had only removed the ballast from one side as money-saving measure, so the sub ended up tipping on its side so much that Bianco’s investors lost faith in its ability to float, and it never left the creek. The Quester I still sits in the same spot today.^[6]

4 K-219

On October 3, 1986, Soviet submarine K-129 was patrolling in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,100 kilometers (700 mi) northeast of Bermuda. An engineer noticed a leak from a plug in the torpedo room and tried to stop it. Water started rushing in. Eventually, a torpedo casing split, and the resulting explosion killed three crew members and started an enormous flood. One of the crewmen gave his life to enter the nuclear compartment to shut down the engine, and they were able to surface.

When the captain opened the hatch, however, he noticed something strange: There appeared to be two long scratch marks along the side of the submarine, but they hadn’t collided with anything along the way. The Soviet Navy suspected that the cause of the scratch and explosion was an American submarine patrolling nearby, the USS Augusta. The US Navy, to this day, denies that they attacked K-219.

In 2010, Soviet captain Nikolai Tushin gave an interview about what he believes collided with K-219 instead: an unidentified underwater object called a “Quacker,” called that because of the sound it makes, a cross between a duck quack and a frog croak. These odd sounds started to be noticed by sonar operators during the Cold War, likely because of the advances made in sonar during that time.^[7] If a Quacker is responsible, it can still visit K-219 at the bottom of the sea today.

3 U-166

Most people know about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, but less known is the German U-boat patrol in the Gulf of Mexico in an effort to sink American merchant ships right on their home shore.

One of the 17 U-boats in this German fleet was U-166. In 1942, it spotted a steam passenger ship called the Robert E. Lee, and the unsuspecting passengers on board thought they saw a shark streaming toward them underwater until a torpedo struck the ship and sent her sinking to the bottom of the ocean. While survivors clung to lifeboats, the US Navy’s PC-566 dropped a depth charge on the U-boat, never finding out whether they had successfully hit it. Coast Guard planes also spotted and bombed another U-boat, but once they returned to base, they were told that the matter was classified and never found out whether they had made a hit in either case.

It was only in 2001, upon a petroleum survey’s discovery of a U-boat near where the Robert E. Lee sank, that historians found the answer: The U-166 was sank by the first attack.^[8] Both the Robert E. Lee and U-166 now sit at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, an eerie reminder of a German attack incredibly close to American soil during World War II, less than 80 kilometers (50 mi) south of the Mississippi River Delta.

2 The Surcouf

At the time it was launched in 1929, the Surcouf was the largest submarine in the world, built to rival the ever more advanced U-boats put out by the German Navy. When Germany invaded France, the Allies were fearful that they would also seize control of French submarines. The Surcouf was ordered to Plymouth, England, and the French crewmen didn’t exactly enjoy being boarded by their historical foe, despite being on the same side, and there was a fight onboard which resulted in four deaths.

Tension didn’t exactly stop after the fight. Each side of the French forces believed the other was secretly working for the Germans, and the British even suggested that some French ships attacked British ships. Eventually, the Surcouf was ordered to the Pacific and stopped in Bermuda to refuel. In February 1942, she disappeared in the Caribbean off the coast of Panama and was never heard from again.

One theory is that the sub collided with an American merchant ship, which reported striking something in the water. Some people credit the loss of the Surcouf to the Bermuda Triangle, years before it would become infamous.^[9] Whatever happened, neither the remains of the Surcouf nor her crew have ever been found.

1 U-537

The Germans had some strange military initiatives in World War II, but perhaps one of the most unusual was the scientific outpost they created in the Arctic Circle. Since the Allies occupied the westernmost areas, they were much better able to predict the weather for their naval strategies. That was until Germany decided to set up a weather outlet of their own. This weather station was delivered by U-537, which was outfitted to be able to install the equipment on the northern shore of Labrador.^[10]

The submarine persisted north despite pretty intense obstacles: It hit an iceberg and sustained major damage, rendering it unable to submerge. The Germans, however, managed to reach their destination and set up their weather station. They disguised their setup as much as possible, making up a fake Canadian name for their equipment and strewing American cigarette packs around to make it seem like it was an Allied station. On its way back to its port in occupied France, U-537 was attacked three times by Canadian planes but managed to escape.

Louise enjoys coffee, dogs, and people-watching.

As a mystical land filled with mythology and legends, it’s no wonder that Wales has its fair share of mysteries that have yet to be resolved. From the mountains of Snowdonia to the vibrant cities of the south to the ragged but beautiful coastline of the west, there are tons of incredible landscapes filled with spooky goings on. No matter what kind of mystery takes your fancy, from con artists to mass executions to extraterrestrial incidents, you’ll find them all throughout Wales’s illustrious and storied past.

So, what are the ten most spooky mysteries in Welsh history? Let’s dive in and find out more.

10 The UFO of Berwyn Mountains

The first on this list is a spooky tale with a strong feeling of conspiracy in the air. Known as the Roswelsh event after the similarities with the infamous Roswell extraterrestrial event in the U.S., the cause of this 1974 phenomenon is still up for debate, despite official MOD files being released back in 2010. Those who were local to the event smelled a coverup!

Witnesses claimed to see a bright ball of light overhead before feeling a huge tremor underfoot. Some say a UFO, some say an unregistered earthquake, and some say a combination of the two. Many have tried to make sense of it all, and the list of theories is long. Even still, no one really knows what happened, even those who live in the Berwyn Mountains.^[1]

9 The Sunken Kingdom of Cantre’r Gwaelod

There are so many legends and mythological tales linked with Wales, especially the coastline around Cardigan Bay. One such story has a lot of parallels to the legendary Atlantis. Cardigan Bay is home to some outstanding coastal trails overlooking the bay, with many people saying that they can see glimmers of buildings underneath the water.

This has led to the story of the Sunken Kingdom of Cantre’r Gwaelod—a city that was once thriving had been lost to the waves due to the carelessness of a lock keeper called Seithenyn. As the story goes, he got too drunk one night and failed in this duty, leading to the whole kingdom being flooded and hit by a huge storm. People still claim you can see the buildings and hear the bells ringing out to this day.^[2]

8 Teggie of Llyn Tegid

So you’ve probably heard about Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, right? Well, Wales has its own watery monster that’s a little less well-known. Thought to be located in Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake in English) lies the legend of Teggie.

First spotted in 1975, Teggie is thought to be an amphibian of up to a whopping 12 feet (3.65 meters). There have been sightings throughout the years, but nothing substantial, much like Nessie. It seems like Nessie and Teggie are two British water myths that are cut from the very same cloth. Grab your binoculars and see if you can catch a glimpse of this magical and mystical being.^[3]

7 What Happened to Trevaline Evans?

Normally, when a shopkeeper puts up a sign saying they’ll be back in two minutes, they’ll be back within the hour, right? Well, Llangollen shop owner and antique dealer, Trevaline Evans, put up this sign in 1990, and she has not been seen again.

The curious thing is that Evans left her coat and handbag in the shop, so she clearly thought she wasn’t going to be long. Her car was also parked less than 100 feet (30 meters) away and remained where it was. To this day, the case remains open, with calls for information still being asked for… over 30 years later.^[4]

6 The Hanging Judge of Skirrid Inn

It’s no secret that Wales has a bloody history, just like the rest of the UK, and nothing demonstrates this more than the tales of the Skirrid Inn in Monmouthshire. This popular pub has a dark past as a courtroom, specifically one run by George Jefferys, a sadistic judge.

Jefferys was notorious for sending people to the gallows—he almost relished the act and the power. In fact, after the Monmouth Rebellion in 1865, he’s rumored to have hung 180 people. And not in the town square—no, in the pub itself. The rebels were, in fact, hung from a huge oak beam that is still there. It’s a morbid attraction, but one that is full of intriguing and spooky history. Have a pint and look out for the ghosts who are rumored to haunt the place.^[5]

5 What Happened to Owain Glyndwr?

If you’ve been in Wales for any length of time or know any Welsh people, you’ll have heard all about Owain Glyndwr, the last native Prince of Wales. A national hero throughout Wales, he suffered a defeat to the English, led by Henry IV in 1400. However, no one knows what happened to the prince himself.

After his defeat, he fled and went on the run. The rest of the Glyndwr family were captured, but Owain’s men were loyal and kept him hidden for years, with the last sighting being around 1412. The mystery is that no one knows where he ended up, where his remains are, or how he died. It’s a curious ending to a huge figure in Welsh history that has baffled historians and stoked debates throughout the UK for generations.^[6]

4 The Disappearance of Richey Edwards

One of the biggest mysteries in modern Welsh times is the disappearance of the rock star Richey Edwards. As the guitarist of the cult Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, Edwards was increasingly becoming more well-known. He joined the band in 1992, and by 1995, taking on America was on the immediate horizon.

In 1995, the band, including Edwards, was supposed to fly to America for a promo tour. Instead of leaving London for the airport, Edwards decided to drive to his homeland of Wales. After this point, he was never seen again. There’s a theory that he jumped off the Severn Bridge, but no evidence or bodies were ever found to corroborate this story. So, even to this day, we have no idea what happened to Richey Edwards.^[7]

3 The Mystery Life of Violet Charlesworth

Although con artists are having a moment with Netflix adding numerous documentaries, one woman from Rhyl in North Wales, Violet Charlesworth, was in a league of her own. At just 24 years old, Charlesworth famously faked her own death after conning multiple men out of their fortunes.

She claimed to be the goddaughter of General Gordon of Khartoum, luring in prospective wealthy men with her fake £100,000 inheritance. Popular on the society pages for her opulent lifestyle, Charlesworth was caught, and Violet and her mother were sentenced to five years of hard labor, which was reduced to three. Following her prison stint, Violet Charlesworth and her mother disappeared off the face of the earth. As first-rate con artists, they could’ve been anyone, working any kind of graft. Who knows! Truly a 20th-century Anna Delvey!^[8]

2 Is Ynys Enlli the Site of Avalon?

When it comes to Arthurian legend and mythology, Wales has no shortage of claims. One of the most common legends is that of Avalon, the Vale between worlds with mystical properties. Arthurian academics and fanatics have worked tirelessly to try and connect the mythology and stories with real-world locations. The leading theory is that Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island) off the Llyn Peninsula could be Avalon. Other theories also posit that it’s the final burial spot of King Arthur or Merlin. It’s a rich, legendary spot!

It’s already a mythical spot, being one of the leading pilgrimage spots throughout the 6th century. In fact, some say that this island was the second most popular pilgrimage sight behind Rome at the time. It was just that significant! It’s said that there are over 2,000 saints’ souls who have been laid to rest there, bringing all kinds of supernatural and religious properties to the island. Visit the island by boat and see if you encounter any ghosts of the pilgrims or saints that have been journeying to the island for centuries.^[9]

1 The Haunting of Plas Teg

More often than not, haunted buildings are a result of a romance gone wrong. Located on A541 in North Wales lies the gorgeous but dark Jacobean mansion, Plas Teg, a property with a seriously spooky history.

The legend goes that Dorothy, the daughter of Sir John Trevor I, fell in love with a farmer’s son. Obviously, her father did not approve, so Dorothy planned to elope with her beloved. In order to start their new life, she buried some jewels in the ground outside Plas Teg that she’d dig up to help them begin their marriage.

Unfortunately, things did not go to plan. Under cover of darkness, Dorothy wandered over to the spot where she buried her jewels but accidentally fell down a well to her death. Until today, visitors still claim to see the ghost of a young girl in a white dress wandering the grounds, trying to find her jewels and her beloved. See if you can spot her or the jewels on your next visit.^[10]

An ancient land with a rich and vibrant culture, Scotland is known for its outstanding landscapes, beautiful people, and storied past with a penchant for the dark and disturbing. It’s also the country that was home to the infamous grave robbers Burke and Hare, which has consequently made tourist attractions out of the creepy criminals. Scotland definitely has a twisted history that’s full of mysteries.

From unsolved murders to mysterious disappearances to serial killers who have never been caught, Scotland is a country that’s full of dark twists and turns. Let’s dive in and find out more—if you dare!

10 The Mystery Hangman of Dundee

You have to have a distinct kind of morbid curiosity to want to be a hangman, but in the 19th century, hangings were all the rage in Scotland, but not in the city of Dundee. Following the Jacobite rebellions and the mass executions, no one in Dundee wanted to hold the post of hangman. Understandable, right?

So from 1745 until 1835, Dundee did not have a hangman. That changed with the arrival of a troublesome gang called the Black Band, who were terrorizing the city. Eventually, one of the gang members, Mark Devlin, was captured and subsequently sentenced to death by hanging. The problem was that they needed the hangman to come all the way from Edinburgh.

With just hours to go and no sign of the professional hangman, the city decided to ask the locals for volunteers. One such man agreed, but under the proviso that he could wear a mask to conceal his identity. To this day, no one knows who hung Mark Devlin, but we know it was a morbid Dundee local who knew how much being a hangman would affect his reputation.^[1]

9 The Madeleine Smith Case

As history has repeatedly told us, forward-thinking and caring women are often treated horrifically. An aristocrat’s daughter, Madeleine Smith, decided to follow her heart and have an affair with an apprentice nurseryman named Pierre Emile L’Angelier. Oh, to be 20 again.

Obviously, her parents weren’t thrilled about the match. Instead, they set Madeleine up with a wealthy suitor. When she tried to break things off with L’Angelier, he threatened to publish some of the 250 letters she’d written to him and go to the press. With her family’s reputation, that was clearly not an option.

Following this, L’Angelier curiously and mysteriously died of arsenic poisoning. The police obviously found the letters and saw that Madeleine had recently bought arsenic and put two and two together. Cut to a scathing and popular trial that questioned a woman’s moral integrity more than it looked for evidence of a murder. As a result, there was not enough evidence to convict, but the damage was done, and Madeleine had to relocate to London. It’s tough being a woman!^[2]

8 The Murder of Marion Gilchrist

Prejudice is rife throughout history, and Scotland is no exception. After a well-known spinster named Marion Gilchrist was bludgeoned to death with a hammer by a home invader in 1909, there was a huge miscarriage of justice with a Jewish immigrant, Oscar Slater, being convicted.

As a neighbor interrupted the burglary, the killer only got away with a brooch. Later, Slater pawned a brooch and had a ticket to New York, and this was all the evidence that the biased judicial system needed at the time. He was supposed to be sentenced to death, which was later commuted to a life sentence.

There was a huge uproar about the case, with famous novelist Arthur Conan Doyle publishing a pamphlet about the lack of evidence. Slater was released almost 20 years later and given £6,000 in compensation. The creepiest part? The real murderer was never found.^[3]

7 Who Killed the Red Fox?

In another case of miscarried justice, the identity of the killer of the Red Fox, actually named Colin Campbell of Glenure, has remained a mystery for centuries. To be frank, Campbell was not popular. The whole clan was assumed to be doing the bidding of the English and were tax enforcers for other clans.

It was rumored that on the day of his death, Colin was about to kick a few Stewart families off their land and replace them with his Campbell brethren. However, he was shot and killed before that could happen. Within two days, the leader of the Stewart clan, James of the Glen, was arrested and tried for murder.

In what was the most biased jury of all time—predominantly made up of Campbell family members and presided by the chief of the clan—inevitably, James of the Glen was executed. However, it was clear that he was not the murderer. To this day, although it’s been rumored that it was the work of younger Stewart clan members, nothing has been verified.^[4]

6 The Mrs. MacRae Mystery

Fast forwarding through Scottish history to 1976, we have the Mrs. MacRae mystery. As the longest-running missing person’s case in Britain, it’s been a huge question mark for almost 50 years.

On her way to see her sister in Inverness, Mrs. MacRae and her son, Andrew, seemingly crashed their car. This has never been confirmed as the case but assumed by a passing bus driver who saw the car on fire. The bizarre and spooky thing? There’s been no sign of Andrew or Mrs. MacRae ever since—dead or alive!

William McDowell, Mrs/McRae’s alleged married lover, has long denied any involvement in the disappearance. He was eventually arrested for the murder of the mother and son in 2019; his trial was held in 2022. He was found guilty, although the defense argues that there was no evidence of a murder and that his client was not guilty.^[5]

5 The Fairy Coffins

What’s creepier than a stack of hidden tiny coffins in the hillside? Add in the mystery of not knowing who did it, why they’re there, or what they represent, and you start to get the spooky vibes associated with Edinburgh’s Fairy Coffins.

In 1836, a few boys were exploring the famous Arthur’s Seat hill in Edinburgh when they found 17 tiny coffins with little wooden figures in them hidden behind some slate. Although there wasn’t a ton of interest initially—in fact, they only sold the lot of them for £4—they’ve now been sold onto the National Museum of Scotland, where the conspiracies and mysteries are alive and well. Was it for witchcraft? Was it a ritual? Was it a message to do with Burke and Hare? Who knows.^[6]

4 Bible John

This list would not be complete without a serial killer, and Bible John became legendary in Glasgow in the 1960s. Stalking around the popular Barrowland Club, Bible John took to raping and strangling girls with their own tights.

Where did the name come from? Well, some witnesses claimed that he read bible passages, specifically from the Old Testament, to his victims as he attacked them. Creepier still is the fact the identity of Bible John is still a mystery, and justice has not yet been served. ^[7]

3 The Lost 9th Legion

It’s no secret that there is a long and bloody history of war in Scotland, especially against England. In around AD 100–190, when the Roman Empire took over what was then known as Britannia, the emperor Augustus sought to also take control of Caledonia to the North––which was essentially what we now know as Scotland.

To complete this ambitious task, he sent the Ninth Legion to Caledonia to fight the clans. The Ninth Legion had been successful all across the empire, so confidence was high. However, the entire legion seemingly disappeared from all records. Being 2000 years ago, this might seem unsurprising, but the Romans were meticulous in keeping track of their military units.

The assumption is that they were annihilated in such an embarrassing display that no one wanted to commit it to the history book. It’s also rumored to be the fuel behind building Hadrian’s Wall.^[8]

2 The Flannan Isles Lighthouse’s Missing Keepers

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to lose one lighthouse keeper may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. The Flannan Isles actually ended up losing three, for which Wilde had no response. This habit of missing lighthouse keepers has become a spooky legend throughout Scotland.

In the 1900s, all three lighthouse keepers who worked on a rotation system disappeared without a trace. A fourth lighthouse keeper was set to join them and was sailing across on the Hesperus. On closer inspection, they could see that no preparations had been done—that being the main job of a lighthouse keeper. Upon arrival, none of the three men could be found anywhere on the island and have never been seen since.^[9]

1 The Aberdeen Harbor Arm

A washed-up limb, a missing teenager, and a huge mystery to unravel. It sounds like the start of a Scandi-noir drama, but it was actually the real-life story of Elizabeth “Betty” Hadden from Aberdeen in 1945. After hearing a bloodcurdling scream on December 12, an arm was found in Aberdeen Harbor.

They deduced it was Betty’s arm and had been sawed off with a knife, but the murderer still remains a mystery. The leads were so cold that they got local girls to volunteer to scream in different areas of the city to work out where the attack may have happened. Alas, Betty’s remains were never found, and her killer was never brought to justice.^[10]