On Eternal Patrol - Submarine Discoveries

Since 2005, ten U.S. Navy submarines that were lost in World War II and whose exact locations were not previously known have been discovered. One additional submarine that had been found soon after her sinking has recently been re-discovered. One submarine that was lost in 1958 has also been found.

USS Lagarto (SS-371) - confirmed discovery in the Gulf of Thailand
USS Wahoo (SS-238) - confirmed discovery in the La Peruse Strait
USS Grunion (SS-216) - confirmed discovery off Kiska
USS Perch (SS-176) - discovery in the Java Sea
USS Flier (SS-250) - confirmed discovery near Palawan Island
USS R-12 (SS-89) - discovery off Key West, Florida
USS S-26 (SS-131) - re-discovery off Panama
USS S-28 (SS-133) - confirmed discovery off Oahu, Hawaii
USS Robalo (SS-273) - confirmed discovery off Philippine Islands
USS Grayback (SS-208) - confirmed discovery off Okinawa, Japan
USS Stickleback (SS-415) - discovery off Oahu, Hawaii
USS Grenadier (SS-210) - discovery south of Phuket, Thailand (awaiting confirmation)
USS Albacore (SS-218) - confirmed discovery off Hokkaido, Japan

Lagarto

USS Lagarto USS Lagarto (SS-371) was found in the Gulf of Thailand on May 18, 2005 by Jamie Macleod and Stewart Oehl of the MV Trident dive boat. The wreck lies in 230 feet of water.
Her identity has been confirmed by the U.S. Navy. A memorial ceremony attended by the families of the crew was held at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on May 6, 2006.
See short documentary of the Lagarto discovery here.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Michael Gadd.
Lagarto page on this site

Wahoo

USS Wahoo USS Wahoo (SS-238) was found on July 28, 2006, in the La Perouse Strait by a team of Russian divers led by Vladimir Kartashev, who was searching at the location coordinates provided by the Wahoo Project. The vessel is at a depth of 213 feet.
Her identity has been confirmed by the U.S. Navy. A memorial ceremony was hosted by USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park on October 11, 2007.

Photo courtesy of Vladimir Kartashev.
Wahoo page on this site

Grunion

Possible Grunion Sonar Image USS Grunion (SS-216) has been located by a team lead by the sons of her commanding officer, Mannert Lincoln "Jim" Abele. Grunion was sunk approximately 10 miles northeast of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. On August 16, 2006, the team discovered a probable submarine wreck, and produced sonar images of it. The vessel shown here lies at a depth of over 2000 feet.
Photos from the site can be seen on the Search for the Grunion Blog.

Her identity has been confirmed by the U. S. Navy. See the announcement here. A memorial ceremony was hosted by USS Cod Submarine Memorial in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 11, 2008.
Additionally, the bow of the boat, (which was separated from the major section of the previously discovered wreck) has been found. See http://www.lost52project.org/ for further information.

Sonar image above and photos below courtesy of Bruce Abele.
Grunion page on this site

Grunion Photographic Comparison
USS Grunion - on the ways, and in the depths

Perch

USS Perch - Photo by Kevin Denlay USS Perch (SS-176) was found on November 23, 2006 in the Java Sea north-northwest of Surabaya City, Java, at a depth of 190 feet. The dive group was led by Vidar Skoglie.
In December 2006, diver/photographer Kevin Denlay sent numerous photos of the wreck to Bowfin Park. Her identity has not yet been confirmed by the U. S. Navy, although physical evidence of the vessel’s identity appears conclusive.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Denlay.
Perch page on this site

USS Flier (SS-250) was found near Palawan Island in the Philippines in the Spring of 2009, at a depth of over 300 feet.

A memorial ceremony was hosted by the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum (recently renamed the USS Silversides Submarine Museum) in Muskegon, Michigan, on August 13, 2010. Flier page on this site

USS R-12 (SS-89) was found in 600 feet of water off Key West, Florida, in October of 2010 by an exploration team led by Tim Taylor aboard the expedition vessel "RV Tiburon." According to their website, "In making the discovery, the team deployed a state of the art autonomous underwater robot which collected first ever imagery of the remains of R-12. They are collaborating and sharing their findings with the US Navy." RV Tiburon is planning additional expeditions to further investigate the possible causes of the sinking, and collect detailed archeological baseline data.

A small get-together was held in Key West in June of 2013 to commemorate the loss of the vessel.

USS S-26 (SS-131) was rediscovered by a team led by Tim Taylor on the Pacific Ocean side of Panama in September 2014. In January of 1942, soon after the vessel was sunk in a collision with sub-chaser USS Sturdy (PC-460), divers located the vessel in 300 feet of water, but were unsuccessful in rescuing her crew.

USS S-28 (SS-133) was found in September, 2017, in water greater than 8,000 feet off the west coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Tim Taylor once again led the group that made this discovery. Her identity has been confirmed by the U. S. Navy. See the announcement here.

USS Robalo (SS-273) was found by the Sea Scan Survey Team in May, 2019, near Palawan Island in the Philippines. Her identity has been confirmed by the U. S. Navy.

USS Grayback (SS-208) was found in June, 2019, in water greater than 1,400 feet off Okinawa, Japan. Tim Taylor once again led the group that made this discovery. Her identity has been confirmed by the U. S. Navy.

USS Stickleback (SS-415) was found off Oahu, Hawaii. Tim Taylor once again led the group that made this discovery.

USS Grenadier (SS-210) was found in October, 2019, in 262 feet of water south of Phuket, Thailand. by an international group of technical divers. Her identity is under review by the U. S. Navy.

USS Albacore (SS-218) was found in May, 2022, off Hokkaido, Japan. by group led by Dr. Tamaki Ura of Tokyo University.