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Wreckage of World War II Submarine Found Off Aleutian Islands
Fox News ^ | August 24, 2007

Posted on 08/24/2007 3:35:45 AM PDT by deaconjim

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 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 in Newton, Mass. "I told my wife about it when she was still in bed and she practically went up to the ceiling."

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Alaska
KEYWORDS: aleutians; beringsea; mia; missing; sailors; shipwreck; submarines; usn; ussgrunion; wwii
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To: bmwcyle
THat all fits together pretty much. If grunion was surfacing to engage with guns, her crew would have been opening hatches and hitting the deck as soon as she broke surface. A shot to the conning tower could have sent her reeling to the point where the open hatch(s) would have taken in a lot of water. She probably went down so fast the crew had no time to react and save her.

Not surprising that patrols found no sign of her considering how rough the seas are up there, any eveidence of a fight,etc were probably long gone by the time the patrol planes started looking for her.

21 posted on 08/24/2007 11:38:02 AM PDT by commish (Freedom tastes sweetest to those who have fought to protect it.)
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To: Robe

You are getting slow.


22 posted on 08/24/2007 11:45:07 AM PDT by bmwcyle (BOMB, BOMB, BOMB,.......BOMB, BOMB IRAN)
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To: bmwcyle

LOL, I’ve BEEN slow for sometime now, I’m just getting SLOWER..............


23 posted on 08/24/2007 11:50:42 AM PDT by Robe (Rome did not create a great empire by talking, they did it by killing all those who opposed them)
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To: Robe

LOL


24 posted on 08/24/2007 11:56:17 AM PDT by bmwcyle (BOMB, BOMB, BOMB,.......BOMB, BOMB IRAN)
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To: deaconjim; sit-rep

I know you’re not a bubblehead, but Navy ping anyway.


25 posted on 08/24/2007 12:30:21 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Hunter 2008)
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To: Robe

Wow, why would the hatch be open? Failed dogs?? Seems like the hull would fail before those?


26 posted on 08/24/2007 12:37:48 PM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: Dead Dog

Wonder if it popped under pressure while the hull imploded? I know it sounds a bit counterintuitive so I’ll defer to others with more knowledge of physics.


27 posted on 08/24/2007 12:42:36 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Hunter 2008)
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To: commish

If she flooded that fast & from multiple open hatches, she probably wouldn’t have crushed. This sub was crushed. If the sinking occured in the manner described, I’m betting she was still buttoned up with decks awash. The shot tookout the periscope & flooding the control room below the sail. They probably failed to control the flooding or control the dive given where they were hit.


28 posted on 08/24/2007 12:43:53 PM PDT by Tallguy (Climate is what you plan for, weather is what you get.)
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To: Tallguy

One of the pictures shows at least on periscope intact. A hit on the conning tower could have had the same effect though. It might even explain why the tower did not implode. The rest of the boat would have been buttoned up, hatches between compartments closed, etc. Still the open hatch is the one leading to the ammunition stores for the deck gun. perhaps the boat did flood through that hatch, but it was the only one open, rather than a bunch of hatches being open. That early in the war, and against a Maru rather than a warship, I’d think they would have only been using the main deck gun, and perhaps a machine gun or automatic cannon (20 mm most likely) on the bridge, the latter to suppress the gun crews, if any, on the Maru.


29 posted on 08/24/2007 6:17:38 PM PDT by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: Tallguy
Is it possible that the compartment or compartments where the hatch was open were flooded and the bouancy was lost because of that. Other compartments were still buttoned up and were crushed when crush depth was exceeded?
30 posted on 08/24/2007 6:27:10 PM PDT by hornetguy
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To: SmithL

Hatch open - Certainly could have been fighting on the surface with the deck gun: a skipper (if there were no escorts or enemy air nearby) would rather use a deck gun and save torpedoes.


31 posted on 08/24/2007 9:44:26 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Dead Dog
From what I have been able to put together , they were surfacing for surface attack, either with torpedoed or gun action. Since they had already fired two dud fish, more likely they were going for the gun.
The Japanese report states they “hit it before it full shown itself” Quite possible meaning that the conning tower was exposed.
Some have stated that a 8cm round could not have possibly penetrated the waters surface and still have the energy to pierce the hull.
However it has been discovered that the Japs had a “ SECRET WEPON” for use on subs, a blunt tipped round that could do just that
32 posted on 08/25/2007 6:40:08 AM PDT by Robe (Rome did not create a great empire by talking, they did it by killing all those who opposed them)
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To: deaconjim

An open hatch indicates some may have got out.. unfortuately you can live only for a few minutes in that temp of water.. especially in winter.. And even if you reach shore what then, all wet and all.. Doubt any reached shore anyway..


33 posted on 08/25/2007 6:50:01 AM PDT by hosepipe (CAUTION: This propaganda is laced with hyperbole....)
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To: hornetguy
Is it possible that the compartment or compartments where the hatch was open were flooded and the bouancy was lost because of that.

Yes, that is also possible. The sub was mostly buttoned up if it was that crushed.

34 posted on 08/25/2007 7:47:16 AM PDT by Tallguy (Climate is what you plan for, weather is what you get.)
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To: Robe

Bad link.


35 posted on 08/25/2007 8:08:12 AM PDT by null and void (I hate to suggest something this radical, but why not let the policy follow the facts? ~ReignOfError)
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To: hosepipe

Did subs of that era have escape hatches? If not, they would have had to have gotten out while it was on the surface; the water pressure would have been too great to open the hatch submerged.


36 posted on 08/25/2007 9:57:03 AM PDT by deaconjim (Because He lives...)
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To: Robe
Wow, that is great stuff.

My grandfather was an NCO on USS Pennsylvania at both Attu and Kiska. They had a close call with torpedo's of Kiska.

37 posted on 08/25/2007 10:13:19 AM PDT by Dead Dog
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