USS GRUNION IDENTIFIED

In this undated file photo (left; courtesy of the US Navy) the submarine USS Grunion (SS 216) is seen underway. Grunion was reported lost on August 16, 1942— research indicates that the 70 crewmembers died when USS Grunion was sunk near the Aleutian Islands on or about July 30, 1942 — after reporting firing on an enemy destroyer, sinking three destroyer-type vessels, and attacking unidentified enemy ships during her first war patrol. The boat has been found off the coast of the Aleutian Islands by the sons of the boat's commanding officer, who was lost with the ship in World War II.

The submarine's fate remained an unsolved mystery for more than 60 years. After discovering information on the internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location, the sons of Grunion's commanding officer, Bruce, Brad, and John Abele, began working on a plan to find the submarine. In August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile below the ocean's surface. A second expedition in August 2007 using a high definition camera on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) yielded video footage and high resolution photos of the wreckage of a U.S. fleet submarine. The Abele brothers then contacted the USS Cod Submarine Memorial for assistance in identifying the wreckage. The vessel is lying at a depth of about 3,200 feet. Very cold water and lack of significant currents has preserved much of the wreckage.