Ghostly wreck of ‘lost’ US WW2 submarine ‘not seen in 80 years’ found

THE long-lost wreckage of a tragic submarine that sank during World War II has finally been discovered.

The wreck of USS Albacore was found by researchers just off the coast of Japan.

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It sank in 1944 tragically killing all 85 crew onboard.

The US submarine was said to be one of the most successful during World War II.

Unfortunately, it hit a mine and sank on November 7, 1944.

Its wreck was discovered near the island of Hokkaido by a team of Japanese researchers.

Professor Tamaki Ura, the director of the La Plongée Society for Deep Sea Engineering, spoke to Live Science about the motivation behind his team’s search.

He reportedly said the researchers wanted to find the submarine due to the numerous lives lost.

The hunt for the wreckage started back in 2019.

The US Naval History and Heritage Command released a statement about the find.

It said: “Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) confirmed the identity of a wreck site off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, as USS Albacore (SS 218) Feb. 16.

“NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) used information and imagery provided by Dr. Tamaki Ura, from the University of Tokyo, to confirm the identity of Albacore, which was lost at sea Nov. 7, 1944.”

NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox added: “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.”

The depth of the wreck means human divers will struggle to get down there and observe.

However, underwater tech has been able to confirm the wreck up close.

This included sonar and a remotely operated underwater vehicle that could take photos of the vessel.

The researchers hope their find will provide some closure for the relatives of those who died.

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