Experts Unraveled The Mystery Of A Lost WWII Submarine – And Its 80 Vanished Crew Members
Tim Taylor and his team searched for a U.S. submarine that disappeared without a trace 75 years ago with 80 sailors aboard. But while attempting to solve the decades-old mystery, his underwater vehicle developed a fault. Frustrated, Taylor brought the craft back to the surface, not expecting to find much. Then he glanced at the recorded data, and the truth was enough to make his arm hairs stand on end.
Mysterious Disappearance
The sub the researchers were searching for is the U.S.S. Grayback. Or, as it was less lyrically known, the S.S.-208. This salvage operation was carried out on behalf of the Lost 52 Project, which is dedicated to locating the 52 U.S. submarines that disappeared in WWII. That’s right: the U.S. Navy had posted the Grayback as missing in late March 1944, over 75 years ago. And little is known about the sub’s mysterious disappearance.
Last Communications
On January 28, 1944, the Grayback embarked on a combat patrol from Pearl Harbor. It was her tenth mission – and, as it happens, it would be her final one. The sub sent a message back to base on February 24, reporting that she’d sunk the Japanese freighters Toshin Maru and Taikei Maru and hit two others. But that wasn’t the last anybody heard from her.
Never Reached Its Destination
The sub made another report on February 25. Her crew said the craft had done serious damage to the liner Asama Maru – a Japanese troop carrier – and sunk the tanker Nanpo Maru. But these attacks over two days had left the Grayback with just two torpedoes. So she had to set sail to Midway Atoll in the North Pacific for resupply. Yet the craft never arrived.
Three Weeks Missing
That February 25 radio message was the last anyone heard from the Grayback. Navy commanders had anticipated that the submarine would dock at Midway Atoll on March 7, 1944 – but there was no sign of her on that date. Even more alarmingly, the Grayback still hadn’t appeared three weeks later. So the authorities had no choice but to declare her and her crew of 80 as lost at sea. They did this on March 30. Still the question remained: what had happened to the Grayback?
