![]() Those features included the presence of a SJ Radar dish and mast, a row of vent holes along the top of the superstructure and the absence of steel plates along the ship’s upper edge consistent with the Albacore’s construction at the time that the submarine was last seen, according to the Navy.'. “However, several key features of a late 1944 Gato-class submarine were identified in the video.” “Strong currents, marine growth and poor visibility on site made it challenging to fully document the wreck or obtain comprehensive images,” the Navy statement said. The Navy said Ura used unmanned underwater craft to locate the Albacore based on Japanese records documenting the Nov. James Blanchard, was awarded the Navy Cross, the service’s second-highest honor for combat heroics, for his role in sinking the Taiho. Months later, the Albacore’s top officer at that time, Lt. The Albacore’s crew did not know at the time that they had sunk the flagship after diving deep to escape incoming aerial attacks. Taiho sunk hours after being struck by a torpedo fired by the Albacore during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, according to the Navy. The Navy said the Albacore might have been responsible for sinking three additional ships during the war, but those have not been confirmed.Īmong the sub’s known sinkings were Japanese destroyers, freighters and the 31,000-ton Japanese aircraft carrier Taiho, then the newest and largest carrier in the Japanese fleet. ![]() The Navy credited the submarine with sinking at least 10 enemy ships during its brief tenure - earning the Albacore nine battle stars for meritorious participation in battle and four Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism in combat. The vessel was built by the Electric Boat Company and commissioned into the Navy on June 1, 1942. (Abigayle Lutz/Naval History and Heritage Command)īefore the sub’s sinking, the Albacore had proved a capable warship. The screenshot was captured from video courtesy of Tamaki Ura from the University of Tokyo. Indications of documented modifications made to Albacore prior to her final patrol such as the presence of an SJ Radar dish and mast, a row of vent holes along the top of the superstructure, and the absence of steel plates along the upper edge of the fairwater allowed Naval History and Heritage Command to confirm the wreck site finding as the Albacore. “It is through their hard work and continued collaboration that we could confirm Albacore’s identity after being lost at sea for over 70 years.”Ī screenshot of the wreck site of the USS Albacore, which was lost at sea Nov. Ura and his team for their efforts in locating the wreck of Albacore,” Samuel Cox, the director of the NHHC, said in a statement. “As the final resting place for sailors who gave their life in defense of our nation, we sincerely thank and congratulate Dr. The Albacore disappeared while patrolling in the Pacific Ocean and had at least 85 sailors aboard. ![]() The NHHC used information and imagery provided by Tamaki Ura, a University of Tokyo professor who has specialized in developing autonomous underwater vehicles to confirm the identity of the submarine. The USS Albacore’s wreckage was confirmed by the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch after it was located recently off the coast of Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, the Navy said in a news release. Navy submarine credited with sinking nearly a dozen enemy ships during World War II before vanishing in late 1944 has been found off the coast of northern Japan, Navy officials announced Thursday.
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