WWII US Navy Submarine Wreckage Found Off The Coast of Japan

We never quite know what we’ll find under the waters of the ocean. In many cases, it is some type of unusual sea creature that we didn’t know existed, but in this case, it was a submarine.

The USS Albacore wreckage was found off the northern coast of Japan. It is thought that the submarine struck a mine during the time that World War II was at its height.

The announcement came out recently from the Naval History and Heritage Command. They examined Japanese surveys conducted at the site in 2022 before concluding they had found the submarine.

A team from the University of Tokyo, headed by Dr. Tamaki Ura, scanned the wreckage site with a remotely operated vehicle.

They were able to get a video of the wreckage, which is hundreds of feet under the surface at the bottom of the ocean. The footage was shared on Facebook for the world to see.

Strong currents made it difficult to have the visibility necessary, and there was a lot of growth in the area. In the end, they were able to confirm it was the USS Albacore.

In the announcement, a retired US Naval rear admiral, Samuel J Cox, said “As the final resting place for Sailors who gave their life in defense of our nation, we sincerely thank and congratulate Dr. Ura and his team for their efforts in locating the wreck of Albacore.”

He went on to talk about the hard work that went into locating and confirming it was the sub.

https://www.facebook.com/USNHistory/videos/588219683171480

The USS Albacore disappeared off the coast of one of Japan’s northernmost islands. The crew of 80+ was heard from in late October 1944 after making stops at Pearl Harbor and the island of Midway.

She was only in service for two years before she disappeared. At the time, a Japanese patrol boat reported they had seen an oil field in the area.

During the two years that the USS Albacore was in service, she was credited was sinking ten enemy vessels. That makes her one of the most successful submarines against enemy combatants during World War II.