The submarine is practically undamaged, except for the conning tower.
TOKYO, LONDON. The wreck of the legendary American submarine USS Harder, which attacked the Japanese fleet during World War II, was discovered off the coast of the Philippine island of Luzon. The ship is located at a depth of 1140 meters, reported the British station BBC.
According to the archeology department of the US Naval History and Heritage Service, the submarine is virtually undamaged – with the exception of the conning tower.
The submarine was searched for by the Lost 52 project team, which is looking for 52 American submarines that sank during World War II.
The BBC, citing the search team, clarified that “submarines are difficult to identify due to their design”. Thanks to the preservation of the wreck and the data collected by the Lost 52 team, the authority was able to confirm that it was the wreck of the USS Harder submarine.
Lost 52 is run by entrepreneur and explorer Tim Taylor along with dive entrepreneur Christine Dennison. In addition to naval drones, they used advanced photogrammetry to illuminate deep-sea locations that are otherwise difficult to access when searching for and locating the submarine.
The USS Harder was a diesel-electric submarine. She began combat service in 1943 at the American naval base Pearl Harbor and completed six combats cruises. During one of the patrols, the crew of the USS Harder sank three Japanese destroyers.
On August 29, 1944, however, she herself was sunk – this happened off the coast of the Philippines after a Japanese attack with the help of depth charges. There were 79 sailors on board, including commander Samuel Deeley, who was also known by the nickname “killer of destroyers”.
The Philippines was one of the main Pacific battlefields of World War II. The waters around the archipelago have become a “cemetery”
several battleships that became famous during the Second World War. In 2015, American billionaire Paul Allen located the wreck of the Musashi ship – one of the two largest Japanese warships ever built – in the Sibuyan Sea of the Philippines.
The Lost 52 team has located at least six other US submarines so far.