A determined American explorer has discovered a submarine lost for 75 years—and the final resting place of 80 American servicemen. Tim Taylor, who runs a project dedicated to finding the 52 US submarines lost in action during World War II, says his team has found the USS Grayback off Okinawa, the New York Times reports. The sub, which sank more than a dozen Japanese ships and rescued a group of downed American airmen, left Pearl Harbour on Jan. 28, 1944 for its 10th combat mission and never returned. Japanese records translated after the war said a plane had hit the sub with a 500-pound bomb and gave the latitude and longitude. But last year, Yutaka Iwasaki, a Japanese researcher who works with Taylor’s team, discovered that one digit had been mistranslated.
Iwasaki’s finding revealed that the Grayback had been hit 100 miles from the approximate location the Navy had listed. Taylor and his team searched the area using autonomous underwater drones. When the main underwater vehicle malfunctioned on the next-to-last day of the expedition, the team prepared to leave, until data from the vehicle led them to the Grayback. “It was amazing. Everyone was excited,” Taylor tells the Washington Post.
Still on patrol. God have mercy on their young souls
Indescribable courage to serve in a submarine.
God Bless those brave men.
izlamo delenda est …
God rest their souls and protect their resting place.
RIP.
This is why, though I love the Japanese and their culture, I cannot buy “big ticket” items like cars, durable goods, etc. from them. 1000 sailors and marines still at their battle stations on the USS Arizona, the sailors on the Grayback, the soldiers and marines in their graves.
Sorry. I worked with too many guys that fought in that theater (Korea, too…same story). If one is able to get past what has gone before, more power to them. My ability to do that is limited. I pray the the following generations will do better than I can.
RIP to the Japanese that died as well.
MIA no more.
RIP now, Submariners and their descendants as well.
“To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the performance of their duties while serving their country, that their dedication, deeds, and supreme sacrifice serve as motivation toward greater accomplishments…”
Creed of the United States Submarine Veterans.
Sailors, rest your oars.
We have the watch!
Ghost of Glover,
Submariners are never MIA.
They are listed as On Eternal Patrol.
@ Peter the Bubblehead – thank you, I stand proudly corrected, Sir.
The Silent Service in WW2 suffered a higher percentage of KIA’s than any other service branch, on a per capita basis. I think it was something like 25-30% of all submariners were KIA.
Mansfield lovell – Close. 288 US submarines served during WWII. Of those, 52 were lost during the war, accounting for 22% of those serving in submarines, or 3,505 men.
However, the submarine force during WWII was only 1.6% of the US Navy, and accounted for 55% of Japanese losses, including the sinking of 4.9 million tons or 60% of all Japanese merchant marine losses. Additionally, US submarines sank 700,000 tons of naval ships – about 30% of the total lost – including 8 aircraft carriers, 1 battleship and 11 cruisers. Additionally, 504 downed airmen were rescued by submarines on lifeguard duty.