Wreckage of US World War Two submarine found after 80 years

by Mick the Ram

The wreckage of a US Navy submarine that was responsible for the sinking of the most Japanese warships during World War Two, has been located in the South China Sea, 80 years after it was sunk itself by one of its targets.    

The USS Harder was found 914m (3,000ft) below the surface close to the Philippines’ northern island of Luzon.    

The “Lost 52” project – which aims to find the 52 submarines sunk during the campaign – discovered the sub sitting upright on its keel and relatively intact, apart from damage to its conning tower.

That damage is thought to have been sustained from the Japanese depth-charge which sent it down in August 1944, along with its 79-man crew.

The sub was later awarded six battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation, an honour that recognises extraordinary heroism in action, an accolade repeated for all of the crew.

The skipper, Commander Sam Dealey, was posthumously awarded the country’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honour, and a silver star.

Capable of rapid speeds

The 311-foot USS Harder was built in Connecticut and officially commissioned on August 19, 1942, under the leadership of Commander Dealey.

It could reach speeds of up to 20.25 knots when surfaced and 9.75 knots when submerged.

Successful hunter

The sub spent a short time at Pearl Harbour before heading toward Japan in June 1943. It then proceeded to make six different war patrols over the next year, hunting down enemy ships.

During the USS Harder’s sixth patrol it initially attacked and destroyed three Japanese escort ships, just off Bataan in the Philippines, on 22 August 1944 in the company of two other submarines, namely the USS Haddo and the USS Hake.

Struck by depth charge

It was reported that the Haddo needed to back off for torpedo replenishment, leaving both the Harder and the Hake to prowl for fresh targets, just off Dasol Bay.

It is documented that on the 24th, the Hake had to drop deep to avoid a Japanese attack, but it made a report of hearing 15 rapid depth charges in the distance.

Later it emerged that the Harder had fired three torpedoes at the Japanese escort ship, CD-22, but the ship had evaded the action and then had been able to sink the submarine with the fifth depth charge that it dropped.

Until now there had been no sign of any wreckage and its whereabouts had remained a frustrating mystery, but finally it has been sighted some 3,000 feet down in the South China Sea.

Lost in the pursuit of victory

The Philippines was taken by the Japanese early in the conflict and they fought hard to retain it, creating one of the main Pacific battlegrounds of World War Two.

Samuel J. Cox, a retired US admiral pointed out that the sub had been lost in the course of victory: “We must not forget that victory has a price, as does freedom,” he said.

Paying tribute to Commander Sam Dealey, Admiral Cox remarked: “He was known for making particularly audacious attacks, but also for using astute judgment in being cautious depending on the tactical situation.”

Will remain a war grave

The Navy have confirmed that the submarine’s final resting place is protected under U.S. law and falls within the Navy’s jurisdiction.

Any activity around the site will have to seek their clearance and a spokesperson said: “The sailors gave their life in defence of the nation and therefore this should be respected by all parties as a war grave.”