After several dives to the vessel to discover its identity proved fruitless, Tomas Termote, the lead researcher, began to sift through the sub's torpedo tubes in October. There he found a clue to the sub's identity: Termote describes "miraculously" finding the maker plates, which identified the boat as UB-29.
After spending weeks digging into historical records, Termote and his team were able to find out that the boat departed on its final mission on November 27, 1916, with 22 German sailors aboard, AP reported.
Speaking at the news conference, German Ambassador Ruddier Ludeking told reporters that he wanted the submarine, along with the remains of the sailors, to remain in their underwater grave.
"The graves should be graves," Ludeking told AP. "They should be protected and it should be made sure that those remaining in those water graves will be protected from interference and will rest in peace."
According to Termote, the wreckage of the vessel was known to the Belgian government for roughly 70 years, but officials were kept from identifying it sooner since it sits beneath busy shipping lanes.
