The mysterious loss of a fine boat is now nearly solved. Story from Fox News. Photos from the Grunion web page.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska �?? The mangled remains of a vessel found in the Bering Sea are likely those of a World War II submarine that disappeared with a crew of 70 off the Aleutian Island of Kiska.
The discovery of the USS Grunion (SS-216), (A Gato class boat, built at Electric Boat – Groton, CT and launched 22 Dec 1941. ~Bull), on Wednesday night culminates a five-year search led by the sons of its commander, Mannert Abele, and may finally shine a light on the mysterious last moments of the doomed vessel.
“Obviously, this is a very big thing,” the oldest son, Bruce Abele, said Thursday from his home inNewton, Mass. “I told my wife about it when she was still in bed and she practically went up to the ceiling.”
A remotely operated vehicle snapped pictures and captured three hours of video footage of Grunion on a rocky underwater slope north of the volcanic island, according to another brother, John Abele, who was in Kiska Harbor with the search team on Thursday. The submarine lies 1,000 feet below the surface and had been crushed by water pressure, said Abele. He is director and co-founder of the medical equipment company Boston Scientific Corp. and the youngest of the three brothers.
“The most surprising thing was the damage,” he said. “It was much more than we or anyone else imagined. Initially it was very hard to recognize as a ship.” The hull had imploded so severely that the interior, including bunks and a dive wheel, were clearly visible, Abele said. No human remains were found.
The search team hired by the Abeles, Deep Sea Systems International, said no identifying markings or lettering could be seen, however, the location and appearance of the vessel indicate it is the missing sub. “There’s a 95 percent chance that this is the Grunion and a less than five percent chance that it’s not,” said Christopher J. Nicholson, general manager of the Cataumet, Mass.-based company. “The fact that they actually found this in an expanse of ocean is really pretty spectacular.”
The Grunion had a propeller guard, which was rare in subs of the day, Abele said. The vessel discovered yesterday also had the fence, which prevented docking lines from getting caught in the propeller.
The Grunion patrolled Alaska’s Aleutian Islands during the early months of World War II. Her last official radio message to the submarine base at Dutch Harbor came on July 30, 1942 and described heavy enemy activity at the Japanese seaplane base at Kiska Harbor.
Earlier that month, the USS Grunion had sunk two Japanese submarine chasers and heavily damaged a third near Kiska, one of two islands in the far west Aleutians captured by the Japanese. Until a few years ago, the clues to the Grunion’s disappearance were too fragmented to justify a search. After receiving more information from a model ship builder in Japan, the Abeles launched an initial expedition to Kiska in August 2006. Sonar images of a sub-shaped silhouette prompted a second journey this month.
As news of the search spread, several relatives of the Grunion’s crew banded together to locate others with ties to the lost men. To date, the relatives of 69 men are following the progress of the search, said Mary Bentz of Bethesda, Md., whose uncle died on the Grunion.
Bentz said the news is a relief after decades of not knowing what happened. Her father’s youngest brother, Carmine Anthony Parziale, of Weedville, Penn., was in his early 20s when he served as a torpedoman third class on Grunion. “I know when my dad would talk about him, his eyes would well up with tears,” said Bentz. “I was relieved to know that this is finally over, that now we can say, two and three generations later, that we know what happened.”
A forensic engineer and other experts will use the footage to piece together the Grunion’s final hours and figure out why it sank. The search crew of 17 plans to spend several more days looking for sunken Japanese ships in the area. “Actually seeing the burial site was touching and in a way rewarding,” John Abele said. “It provides a closing and hopefully an answer to the unknown.”
Further info on the search for the USS Grunion can be found at their website located HERE.
I think it is safe for The Bull to speak here for submariners everywhere in thanking the families and friends of the USS Grunion for the efforts in locating the final resting place of that fine boat and her brave crew now on Eternal Patrol.
The Crew of USS Grunion (SS-216):
Abele, M. L. LCDR
Alexander, F. E. SM3
Allen, D. E. SM3
Arvan, H. J. Matt2
Banes, P. E. CMOMM
Bedard, L. J. I. CMOMM
Blinston, W. H. RM3
Bonadies, N. R. F2
Boo, R. F. RM3
Bouvia, C. L. MM1
Caldwell, G. E. CEM
Carroll, R. H. S2
Clift, J. S. TM2
Collins, M. F. F2
Cooksey, L. D. MOMM1
Cullinane, D. MM1
Cuthbertson, W. H., Jr. ENS
Deaton, L. D. S2
DeStoop, A. E. CTM
Devaney, W. P., Jr. S2
Dighton, S. R., Jr. LTJG
Doell, L. H., Jr. RM2
Franck, L. H. S1
Graham, M. D. CTM
Hall, K. E. S2
Hellensmith, E. G. EM3
Henderson, H. B. MOMM2
Hutchinson, C. R. TM3
Kennedy, S. J., Jr. MOMM2
Knowles, E. E., Jr. S2
Kockler, L. R. TM1
Kornahrens, W. G. LT
Ledford, M. J. CY
Lehman, W. W. EM1
Loe, S. A. MOMM2
Lunsford, S., Jr. EM2
Lyon, J. W. F1
Martin, C. R. CMOMM
Martin, T. E. EM1
Mathison, R. EM1
McCutcheon, R. G. TM3
McMahon, J. M. LT
Miller, E. C. F2
Myers, D. O. F1
Nave, F. T. MOMM2
Newcomb, A. G. RM1
Nobles, J. W. MOMM1
Pancoast, J. E. MOMM2
Parziale, C. A. TM3
Paul, C., Jr. MATT2
Pickel, B. J. S1
Post, A. C. S2
Randall, W. H. RM2
Ryan, L., Jr. S2
Sanders, H. A. MOMM1
Schumann, E. T. CQM
Sullivan, P. P. PHM1
Surofchek, S. SC1
Swartwood, D. N. S2
Templeton, S. A. GM1
Thomas, M. W. LT
Traviss, B. A. S2
Ullmann, A. S1
VanWoggelum, M. F. F3
Walter, M. H. F3
Webster, R. E. EM2
Welch, D. F. FC2
Wells, J. H. TM2
Wilson, J. E., Jr. SC3
Youngman, R. J. F2
May the Gods grant you Peace at last.
Bull, out.
My dad was on the USS Sennet. To those brave sailors of the Grunion, I say, “Sailors rest your oars.” Goddess bless.