The Hunt for Lady Olive & The German Submarine
This compelling, captivating and ultimately moving film marks the culmination of an epic four-year search for the Royal Navy 'Q' ship Lady Olive and the German Submarine UC18. These two vessels allegedly destroyed one another in a famous WW1 battle. They have lain lost on the sea bed ever since - along with the remains, in the case of the U-boat, of 28 crew. The details of the their deadly encounter have remained a mystery - until now.
The film is the result of painstaking research and dedicated investigation. It follows the trail of clues across the UK, France (including the French Military Archives in Paris), Germany (including Hamburg International Maritime Museum), Belgium and the Channel Islands. It also features spectacular underwater footage of the divers working far from shore and over 75 metres deep.
It documents extraordinary maritime archeological work with contributions from world leading U-Boat maritime archeologist Tomas Termote. And it captures every ounce of the passion and tenacity - as well as the tension - in Taylor's intrepid team.
Narrated by David Harewood OBE, 'The Hunt' features movie quality CGI reconstructions of the fateful battle plus detailed CGI maps depicting the search areas and key locations. It also features interviews with descendants of the Royal Navy crew and a former U-boat commander - the result is an unforgettable piece of documentary filmmaking that not only captures the intense highs and lows of its production - it also honours the tragic and heroic events of its inspiration.
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An underwater and archaeological odyssey in search of a lost German submarine and the circumstances of its alleged battle with a secret Royal Navy ‘Q’ Ship. With a detective trail across Europe, plus the maritime archaeology of divers and filmmakers working at depths of over 75m, you have an epic adventure woven into this adrenaline-fuelled film beautifully narrated by David Harewood OBE.
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Crew
Karl Taylor: Director / Principle Underwater Photographer:
Karl is as an award winning photographer primarily known for stills and TV commercials work. He is commissioned by leading global companies for his precise attention to detail and his exquisite control of light.
‘The Hunt for Lady Olive & The German Submarine’ is his first feature length documentary and is derived from his other passion as a technical diver and shipwreck hunter. Using specialist low light video cameras, Karl is able to reveal the hidden world of shipwrecks in great clarity at depths of up to 75m (250ft), the very limit of natural light levels in temperate seas.
Peter Frankland: Second underwater/cameraperson
Peter is a qualified technical diver and skilled cameraman who operated as second underwater cameraman on this four year project, contributing some stunning scenes underwater as well as aerial drone footage.
Benjamin Thoume: Editor and Surface Camera Crew
Ben is a 10 year experienced video editor who also enjoys spending time behind the camera. He was responsible for the majority of land based and aerial footage, capturing the research, boat and interview sequences that went in to the discovery.
Ben also led the documentary edit and music choices and worked closely with Karl to deliver an edit that best told the story in an exciting and emotive way.
James Harrison: Cameraman
James is a veteran camera operator with work across multiple television and film productions including winning a Royal Television Society documentary award. He became a full-time filmmaker in 2014 and soon began production on his first feature-length and award-winning documentary; Sea Donkey, which was released in 2017.
Tomas Termote: Consultant Maritime Archeologist
Tomas Termote is one of the world’s foremost experts on the German U-boat fleet of WW1. His book War Beneath the Waves, the benchmark for historical information pertaining to U-boats of that era, is a culmination of years of research and exploration that led to the discovery and identification of vessels including UB-29 in 2017, UB-32 in 2019 and UB-27 in 2022.
Termote’s knowledge of and passion for maritime archaeology have led him all over the world. He has published several acclaimed books, curated many exhibitions and served as a consultant and advisor for numerous television documentaries. He is currently working on various new projects and discoveries to further advance the field of maritime archeology.
David Harewood OBE: Narrator
David is a British actor and the current president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in Homeland (2011–2012) and his highly acclaimed performance in ‘Blood Diamond’ alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
David was appointed an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2023 for his services to drama and charity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Harewood
Dive Team and support crew, left to right: Dennis McKane, John-Paul Fallazie, Richard Keen, Nathan Martel, Mike Paige, Karl Taylor, Peter Frankland, Chris de Putron, Dan Smith, Martyn Smith.
Gallery
Director’s Statement
To successfully complete this project has been an absolute privilege and testament to the tenacity of the entire team.
My work in studio commercials and stills is far removed from the often eerie and ominous process of filming underwater shipwrecks, it’s a unique experience of exploration and discovery that is truly spellbinding.
As a passionate wreck and technical diver, filming lost shipwrecks far offshore at depths of over 75m is as exciting as it gets. Working with the right team is essential, the dive team and surface crew are there to support each other and if there is a problem, then working with a team that you know well and trust is reassuring.
On this project we were fortunate enough to discover and dive the location of the missing U-boat ‘UC-18’. We were able to capture haunting underwater images of UC18 as well as other newly identified wrecks and build the story that revealed the truth of this incredible naval battle. A battle that had been contested by historians for decades.
Further Reading & Information
Press & News Articles
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr3l4zl943o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1jdwrrpgeno
Photo of James Simpson (from Mike Sandford)
Legacy
The project continues to reveal and surprise. During our communications with the German War Graves Commission they were able to contact surviving family members of the crew of the lost submarine UC18. Through them we were kindly sent this photograph of Hans Kuffner, a crew member who was lost with UC18. It is incredible to see the face of someone, lost in battle, whose whereabouts had remained a mystery for so long and it was an honour to be involved in locating this war grave.
In addition and following the release of the film we have also been contacted by further crew members of the Lady Olive who served with James Simpson. One of them an elderly gentleman whose father was among those brave sailors back in 1917.
The legacy of this project is its ability to have finally revealed the truth of the battle and validate the circumstances of the events surrounding this truly unique naval encounter. For those who view the film we hope that it brings the same levels of emotion, adrenaline and adventure it did to those who took part in its realisation.
Dear Karl, I hope you are well. I have good news for you. You probably still remember Mr. Hollatz, who wrote you about his research of submarine crews of the First World War. In the meantime, Mr. Hollatz has managed to find a relative of a crew member from UC-18! His name is Andreas Kuffner and he lives here in Hamburg. His grandfather's brother was Hans Kuffner, who served as a stoker on UC-18 and died on February 19, 1917. (Dr. Christian Lübcke - German War Graves Commission)
Photo of Hans Kuffner (from Andreas Kuffner)
Karl, I have just watched your documentary 'The Hunt For The Lady Olive....' my great grandfather Oswald Francis Davies served on that ship and is pictured with James Simpson in one of the photographs shown. He is also mentioned in some of James' diary entries as OF Davies. I would very much like to email you some diary extract that we have and some additional photographs if you are interested. (Beth Davies - Great Granddaughter of Oswald F Davies)
Oswald F Davies (from Beth Davies)
Dear Mr. Taylor, I was very interested to read about the project you led which discovered a German Submarine UC-18, which was sunk in 1917. My Father, who was a Marine during the first world war, was serving on the Lady Olive at the time of the sinking of both the Lady Olive and the German UC-18. His name was John Alfred James Coe (known as Jack) and he was born on the 3rd May 1898. I am attaching a copy of the postcard my father sent to his Mother when he got back to Gosport. The postcard is dated 27th February 1917 and has suffered somewhat after all these years.
"Dear Mother, Received letter. But shan't be home yet as expected owing to a court of enquiry. But will be home before week's out. Please forward 6/- return fare for no money. Love Jack. This is a photo of ship which saved us. J.”
Postcard of 'Le Dunois' from John Coe
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For international broadcast sales please contact:
Emma Simpson at Journeyman Pictures https://www.journeyman.tv/
For media/press inquiries, images and clips contact: [email protected]