The wreckage of a US Navy submarine that sank most of Japan’s warships during World War II has been found in the South China Sea, some 80 years after it was sunk by enemy forces.
The USS Harder was found 3,000 feet (914 meters) underwater near the northern Philippine island of Luzon, the BBC reports. Harder was sunk in action on August 29, 1944, along with a crew of 79.
The wreck of a US Navy submarine that sank most of Japan’s warships during World War II has been found in the South China Sea, some 80 years after it was sunk by enemy forces.
The USS Harder was found 3,000 feet (914 meters) underwater near the northern Philippine island of Luzon, the BBC reports. Harder was sunk in action on August 29, 1944, with a crew of 79.
On one of its last patrols of the war, it sank three Japanese destroyers and seriously damaged two over the course of four days.
This forced the Japanese to change their battle plans and delay their carriers, which contributed to their defeat.
– “We must not forget that victory comes at a price, as does freedom,” said Samuel J. Cox, a retired U.S. admiral who heads the NHHC.
The Philippines was one of the major Pacific battlefields of World War II, as the United States fought to reclaim its former colony from the Japanese Imperial Army. The waters in and around the archipelago served as a staging area for famous World War II battleships.
The Harder, which sailed under the motto “Hit ‘Em Harder,” was found as part of the Lost 52 Project, which aims to locate 52 U.S. submarines lost during World War II. The U.S. Navy said it was found relatively intact.
The submarine and its crew later received the Presidential Unit Citation for their service during the war, and the captain, Commander Sam Deeley, was posthumously awarded the highest U.S. military decoration, the Medal of Honor.
