Shipwreck hunters have discovered the wreck of a famous American submarine that sank with 79 crew members while fighting a Japanese warship near the Philippines in 1944.
An octopus on the conning tower of the wreck of the American submarine USS Harder, which sank near the Philippines in 1944 after a battle with a Japanese destroyer. (Image source: Lost 52 Project)
According to the Lost 52 Project, based in New York, which made this discovery, the wreck of the USS Harder is currently lying on its side at the bottom of the South China Sea near Luzon Island in the northern Philippines at a depth of about 1,140 meters.
Naval reports regarding the submarine’s last mission indicate that the Harder—a Gato-class submarine named after a type of fish (a type of mullet)—sank with its entire crew on August 24, 1944, after being heavily damaged in a battle with a Japanese destroyer.
USS Harder is one of the most famous submarines of the United States during World War II. It sank several Japanese warships and received a Presidential Unit Citation. (Photo: U.S. Navy).
The Harder is regarded as one of the most famous submarines of the United States during World War II. U.S. Navy records state that it sank five Japanese destroyers along with other enemy vessels during six successful patrols in the Pacific theater.
Tim Taylor, the founder of the Lost 52 Project, stated: “This is one of the most famous submarines of World War II and a historical discovery for the navy.”
World War II Grave
Taylor, who is also the CEO of Tiburon Subsea, employs autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and other technologies to gather data at underwater sites. He leads the Lost 52 Project, which aims to locate the wrecks of 52 missing American submarines lost at sea during World War II and four lost during the Cold War.
Taylor mentioned that the team has located the wrecks of eight submarines, with the wreck of the USS Harder being their ninth discovery. Each underwater wreck is also considered a wartime grave as the crews perished when it sank.
The research team located the wreck by analyzing reports of the final battle and then searching suitable areas using shipboard sonar, which can detect objects on the seabed, and AUVs, which can dive much deeper than human divers. “It’s still a long and arduous process, akin to finding a needle in a haystack,” Taylor remarked.
Sunken Over 80 Years Ago
The wreck of the Harder is too deep for divers to reach, and the U.S. Navy has designated the wreck as a protected site. Taylor added that AUV images indicate the ship appears to be in good condition. He stated: “The submarine is relatively intact, except for damage caused by mines.”
Now, after 80 years submerged beneath the waves, the wreck seems to have become a home for marine life, including the octopus that Taylor observed in the AUV photos.
