Wreckage of World War II Submarine Found Off Aleutian Islands

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."

I agree, have a read below, An eye witness says she was surfacing when they hit her in the Conning Tower. I came across a hand drawn map of the engagement by the Japanese Skipper.

I post that in a bit.. USS GRUNION (SS 216) July 30, 1942 - 70 Men Lost The submarine GRUNION arrived at Pearl Harbor on 20 June 1942, reporting for duty from the West Coast. This vessel engaged in the pre-patrol training given to all submarines reporting from new construction yards, and on 30 June, left for patrol.

Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele, in command, was ordered to proceed to the Aleutian Theater and patrol westward from Attu on routes between the Aleutians and the Japanese Empire. On 10 July GRUNION was reassigned to the area north of Kiska. GRUNION made her first report on 15 July: Dutch Harbor received her message that, attacked by an enemy destroyer, she had fired three torpedoes at it, and missed with all. Shortly after this message was received GRUNION sent another relating that she had sunk three destroyer-type vessels on 15 July.

This message was garbled to the extent that details of the attacks were never learned (Japanese information reveals that GRUNION sank patrol boats 25 and 27 and damaged a third patrol vessel). On 19 July GRUNION, S-32, TRITON and TUNA were assigned areas in the approaches to Kiska, all to be there by daylight 22 July. There was a strong concentration of enemy vessels at Kiska, this time being only a month and a half after the enemy had taken that island.

The vessels patrolling there were told to watch particularly on the afternoon of 22 July 1942 for departing enemy naval vessels, since our own surface forces were scheduled to bombard Kiska that afternoon. The bombardment did not take place in accordance with the original plans, but our forces did stage the operation on 28 July and GRUNION was told to guard the exits from Kiska during darkness on this date. On this day GRUNION reported an attack on unidentified enemy ships six miles southeast of Sirius Point, Kiska.

She had fired two torpedoes, made no hits, and been depth charged, but sustained no damage. GRUNION’s last transmission was received 30 July 1942. She reported heavy antisubmarine activity at the entrance to Kiska, and that she had ten torpedoes remaining. On the same day, GRUNION was directed to return to Dutch Harbor. She was not contacted or sighted after 30 July, despite every effort to do so, and on 16 August was reported lost. Planes observing the approaches to Kiska for indications of enemy salvage operations in connection with GRUNION reported negatively.

Japanese antisubmarine attack data available now record no attack in the Aleutian area at this time, and GRUNION’s fate remains an unsolved mystery. We know of no enemy minefields which were in her area; thus her loss may be presumed to have been operational or as a result of an unrecorded enemy attack. UPDATE - A gentleman in Japan, Yutaka Iwasaki, posted some interesting information on his website, about sunken Japanese ships during WWII, which includes information about the possible fate of the USS GRUNION.

The Kano Maru was sunk at Kiska Mr. Iwasaki kindly provided some very interesting information about the ship's history and the USS GRUNION. He provided the following on the history of the ship in connection to the loss of the GRUNION (publications S.Komamiya's Wartime ship history (1991 private issue) and JIRO Kimata's Submarine attack" (2000 Kojin-Sya)): # Kano Maru 30 July, 1942 - 08:00 Arrived at 36km north of Kiska. Heavy fog prevented approach, lost contact with the escort, forced drifting. Getting location by astronomical, she restarted approach to Kiska with 15kt. # 31 July, 1942 - 05:47 Torpedoed by Submarine Grunion (SS-216).

One hit at machinery room starboard, main engine and generator stopped. No more escape nor radio. 05:57 Second torpedo came, but passed below the ship. Kano Maru pretended to launch seaplane without pilot, failed to start propeller. 06:07 Third and fourth torpedo came, hit fore bridge and amidships on the port but both dud. The Grunion intended to surface and sink by gunfire, ripples was seen 400m distance from her. Kano Maru had two old 8cm guns on forecastle and stern. Stern's one malfunction by the torpedo shock, but forecastle gun fired to the periscope. 13mm machine guns on bridge fired as well. Before the sub appear the whole, fourth shot from Kano Maru hit the conning tower of the sub.

It is thought the last of Grunion. The attack had ceased. Later rescue came from Kiska, three seaplanes, cable layer Ukishima, and sub chaser No. 26. For over 50 years the skipper’s three sons knew little about what happened to their father's submarine.

In 2002, due to an update on this website which helped pinpoint where USS GRUNION may have sunk, the Abele brothers began working on a plan to find the submarine. Last August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile deep which may be USS GRUNION. Efforts by the Abele brothers to determine their father's fate are continuing.

The big picture there is the one showing the Deck Hatch in the open position — this is indicative of her being hit on the surface IMO.

I agree, have a read below, An eye witness says she was surfacing when they hit her in the Conning Tower. I came across a hand drawn map of the engagement by the Japanese Skipper.
I post that in a bit..

USS GRUNION (SS 216) July 30, 1942 - 70 Men Lost The submarine GRUNION arrived at Pearl Harbor on 20 June 1942, reporting for duty from the West Coast. This vessel engaged in the pre-patrol training given to all submarines reporting from new construction yards, and on 30 June, left for patrol. Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele, in command, was ordered to proceed to the Aleutian Theater and patrol westward from Attu on routes between the Aleutians and the Japanese Empire.
On 10 July GRUNION was reassigned to the area north of Kiska. GRUNION made her first report on 15 July: Dutch Harbor received her message that, attacked by an enemy destroyer, she had fired three torpedoes at it, and missed with all. Shortly after this message was received GRUNION sent another relating that she had sunk three destroyer-type vessels on 15 July. This message was garbled to the extent that details of the attacks were never learned (Japanese information reveals that GRUNION sank patrol boats 25 and 27 and damaged a third patrol vessel).
On 19 July GRUNION, S-32, TRITON and TUNA were assigned areas in the approaches to Kiska, all to be there by daylight 22 July. There was a strong concentration of enemy vessels at Kiska, this time being only a month and a half after the enemy had taken that island. The vessels patrolling there were told to watch particularly on the afternoon of 22 July 1942 for departing enemy naval vessels, since our own surface forces were scheduled to bombard Kiska that afternoon. The bombardment did not take place in accordance with the original plans, but our forces did stage the operation on 28 July and GRUNION was told to guard the exits from Kiska during darkness on this date.
On this day GRUNION reported an attack on unidentified enemy ships six miles southeast of Sirius Point, Kiska. She had fired two torpedoes, made no hits, and been depth charged, but sustained no damage. GRUNION’s last transmission was received 30 July 1942. She reported heavy antisubmarine activity at the entrance to Kiska, and that she had ten torpedoes remaining. On the same day, GRUNION was directed to return to Dutch Harbor. She was not contacted or sighted after 30 July, despite every effort to do so, and on 16 August was reported lost.
Planes observing the approaches to Kiska for indications of enemy salvage operations in connection with GRUNION reported negatively. Japanese antisubmarine attack data available now record no attack in the Aleutian area at this time, and GRUNION’s fate remains an unsolved mystery. We know of no enemy minefields which were in her area; thus her loss may be presumed to have been operational or as a result of an unrecorded enemy attack.
UPDATE - A gentleman in Japan, Yutaka Iwasaki, posted some interesting information on his website, about sunken Japanese ships during WWII, which includes information about the possible fate of the USS GRUNION. The Kano Maru was sunk at Kiska Mr. Iwasaki kindly provided some very interesting information about the ship's history and the USS GRUNION. He provided the following on the history of the ship in connection to the loss of the GRUNION (publications S.Komamiya's Wartime ship history (1991 private issue) and JIRO Kimata's Submarine attack" (2000 Kojin-Sya)): #
Kano Maru 30 July, 1942 - 08:00 Arrived at 36km north of Kiska. Heavy fog prevented approach, lost contact with the escort, forced drifting. Getting location by astronomical, she restarted approach to Kiska with 15kt. # 31 July, 1942 - 05:47 Torpedoed by Submarine Grunion (SS-216). One hit at machinery room starboard, main engine and generator stopped. No more escape nor radio. 05:57 Second torpedo came, but passed below the ship.
Kano Maru pretended to launch seaplane without pilot, failed to start propeller. 06:07 Third and fourth torpedo came, hit fore bridge and amidships on the port but both dud. The Grunion intended to surface and sink by gunfire, ripples was seen 400m distance from her.
Kano Maru had two old 8cm guns on forecastle and stern. Stern's one malfunction by the torpedo shock, but forecastle gun fired to the periscope. 13mm machine guns on bridge fired as well. Before the sub appear the whole, fourth shot from Kano Maru hit the conning tower of the sub. It is thought the last of Grunion.
The attack had ceased. Later rescue came from Kiska, three seaplanes, cable layer Ukishima, and sub chaser No. 26.
For over 50 years the skipper’s three sons knew little about what happened to their father's submarine. In 2002, due to an update on this website which helped pinpoint where USS GRUNION may have sunk, the Abele brothers began working on a plan to find the submarine. Last August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile deep which may be USS GRUNION.
Efforts by the Abele brothers to determine their father's fate are continuing

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