Background
When I originally created my UB88 Photogrammetry Model it was November 2021 and one of the points of interest for me was using photogrammetry as a tool to see how the wreck had changed and deteriorated since it was discovered in 2003.
I don’t think I have dove that wreck since the epic series of dives to create the model. I really appreciate the UB-88 wreck but I’ve been busy working on a lot of other projects.
I got connected with Jim Babor (president of Ghost Diving USA) back in 2023 when I was training Daniel Pio on photogrammetry. They are currently doing some work on the UB-88 and created a model as part of that project. He pointed me to the online version of the model they created and I was astonished at the amount of change in a relatively short period of time.
We thought that it would be interesting to do a side-by-side comparison of our models to really highlight how quickly the wreck is deteriorating. Jim connected me with Curtis Wolfslau who, along with Tianyi Lu and Symeon Delikaris-Manias, created their model this year. Curtis kindly sent me all of their models in order to make the comparison.
Photomosaic Comparison
Similar to what I did last time, I first tried to make a like-for-like photomosaic of the sub in 2007 (4 years after it was discovered in 2003), when I finished my model in late 2021 and now the addition of the most recent model which was completed in mid-2024.
(NB: I adjusted the color profile of the Ghost Diving USA images just a little bit to try to make color less of a visual factor).
From this view, the first thing that I immediately noticed was the complete erosion of the outer hull aft of the conning tower and this has happened in the last 2.5 years. It is indicator to me that the progression of deterioration is increasing. If you compare the changes over the 13 year gap (2003->2021) with the 2-3 year gap (2021-2024) it is clear that the changes are much bigger in the recent years.
Below I will analyze some of the other changes that are apparent with the benefit of both 3D models from 2021 and 2024.
Specific Changes
Port Stern Area
You can see large changes in the port stern area. I have labeled three specific areas below. My model from 2021 is on top and the model from Ghost Diving USA below. In areas 1 & 2, you can see that they are about the same. However, in between area 2 & 3 where I have added a red rectangle, you can clearly see the big changes and erosion of the outer hull.
Starboard Stern Area
In this area of the wreck, the obvious change is that the outer hull has continued to deteriorate, but you can also now see more gaps and holes on the inner hull. I have highlighted the specific area in red.
The picture block below is a “image compare” whereby you can slide the bar to see the old image (left) and new image (right).
Starboard Bow Area
This was one of the biggest and most obvious changes I noticed. Once again, not only has the outer hull eroded, but you can now see the erosion of the inner section. It is also interesting that it has the same “pattern” as the starboard stern area in the above. You can see the erosion around the “ribs” of the inner hull to create “windows” into the wreck.
Image Compare
And here are the same images stacked:
On-Line Models
Below are links to the “live” online versions of the model I created and also the version created about 2.5 years later by Ghost Diving USA.
Conclusion
The deterioration of the UB-88 is continuing and, in my opinion, accelerating. Not only is the outer hull eroding, but now the inner hull has started to collapse.
During one of my dives in 2021, I did a penetration inside the wreck to document it. Given the amount of degradation on the wreck in the past 2-3 years, I don’t believe that I would do that dive again.
Thanks To…
Jim Babor and Curtis Wolfslau at Ghost Diving USA. It was a great to collaborate with them and they were very open to providing me with all of their photos and the complete photogrammetry model in order to conduct this analysis. We all had the same thoughts and ideas on comparing the models.
