A LONG-LOST First World War submarine sunk after sailing from a North-East town has finally been found in the North Sea.

The E16 was reported missing in August 1916 after setting out from Blyth in Northumberland on a mission to destroy German submarines.

It was discovered by a team of divers 18 miles off the German coast near Helgoland island. The divers found that the vessel's propellers had been destroyed, probably struck by a mine.

A spokesman for the MoD said: "We have not yet received formal confirmation of its discovery or its identity, but assuming it is the E16, she was lost on August 22, 1916, when she was mined.

"She operated from Blyth and was one of an 11-submarine flotilla."

The E16 was commanded by Lieutenant Commander K J Duff-Dunbar DSO, who died along with all 30 crew members.

Naval experts have now appealed for the wreck not to be disturbed.

George Malcolmson, spokesman for the Royal Naval Museum in Gosport in Hampshire, said the discovery will end the mystery of the victims' final resting place and be some comfort to their relatives.

He said: "It's the final chapter in the vessel's history. We now have an end to the speculation over what happened.

"Now we just call for people in the diving community to respect the sanctity of the war grave."

The diving expedition's cameraman, Sascha Kellersohn, who was shooting footage for a German documentary about wrecks, vowed to keep the submarine's exact location a secret to protect it from gravediggers.

He said: "It's a grave. There are no signs of any remains but 31 people died there. It would be wrong to disturb it."

He said there were no plans to dive again for the wreck, or to try to lift it from the sea-bed.

The E16 was one of 54 E- class submarines used during the First World War, 20 of which were lost in battle.

It patrolled the North Sea for two years and had sunk a German destroyer and U-boat.

Blyth was a major base for submarines during the First World War