Posted on 10/03/2008 8:24:21 PM PDT by csvset
PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Commander, Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny announced today that a sunken vessel off the coast of the Aleutian Islands is in fact the World War II submarine USS Grunion (SS 216).
"I am honored to announce that, with records and information provided by the Abele family and assistance from the Naval Historical Center, USS Grunion has been located," said McAneny. "We are very grateful to the family of Grunion's Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele for providing the underwater video footage and pictures that allowed us to make this determination. We also appreciate the efforts of the USS Cod Submarine Memorial for their assistance in this matter. We hope this announcement will help to give closure to the families of the 70 crewmen of Grunion."
The submarine Grunion arrived at Pearl Harbor on June 20, 1942. The vessel completed pre-patrol training before departing on its first war patrol June 30. Grunion's commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Abele, was ordered to proceed to the Aleutian Islands and patrol westward from Attu on routes between the Aleutians and the Japanese Empire. On July 10, Grunion was reassigned to the area north of Kiska. Over the next 20 days, the submarine reported firing on an enemy destroyer, sinking three destroyer-type vessels, and attacking unidentified enemy ships near Kiska.
Grunion's last transmission was received on July 30, 1942. The submarine reported heavy antisubmarine activity at the entrance to Kiska, and that it had 10 torpedoes remaining forward. On the same day, Grunion was directed to return to Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base. There was no contact or sighting of the submarine after July 30, and on August 16, Grunion was reported lost.
Abele was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism. A destroyer, USS Mannert L. Abele (DD 733), was commissioned in his honor, and was later lost in action off Okinawa in 1945. Japanese anti-submarine attack data recorded no attack in the Aleutian area at the time of Grunion's disappearance, so 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.
"This discovery has come about through a stream of seemingly improbable events; it's like we won the lottery 10 times in a row," said Bruce Abele, eldest son of Grunion's commanding officer. "It is so dramatic to see the underwater photo and be certain it was in fact Grunion; not only is this announcement important for the families of the crew members, it's also important for the Navy and the country."
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.
Dr. John Fakan, director of the USS Cod Submarine Memorial, remarked about the importance of having an unmodified example in USS Cod, a fellow Gato-class submarine, in identifying the wreckage of USS Grunion.
"USS Grunion and USS Cod shared the same blueprints," he said. "It is very gratifying for me and my crew to help with the identification of the submarine."
With the information provided by the Abele family and the USS Cod Submarine Memorial, COMSUBPAC and the Naval Historical Center examined the evidence and historical records and determined that the submarine found at the reported position could only be USS Grunion.
"The synergy of our group working together with the Navy for the common cause has been a wonderful group effort," Bruce Abele said. "The teamwork combined with everyone's compassion and wisdom has resulted in our success."
According to Bruce's brother John Abele, those responsible for contributing to this discovery included historians and engineers from the United States, Australia, Israel and Japan. Of particular note was the involvement of Japanese naval architect Yutaka Iwasaki, who provided information critical to pinpointing the location of the submarine.
Bruce and John's brother, retired Lt. Brad Abele, who recently passed away, also played a significant role in the find. As his brother John explained, "Brad's experience as a Naval aviator helped a great deal by helping us to plot the strategy for the discovery."
Unfortunately, the cause of Grunion's sinking remains a mystery. No matter what the cause, the end result was the loss of all hands. As the Naval Historical Center noted, "no amount of analysis or speculation will change or alter the fact that families lost fathers, husbands, uncles and brothers… the Navy and the nation will always be grateful for their service and their sacrifice."
Former Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz once said, "When I assumed command of the Pacific Fleet on 31 December 1941 our submarines were already operating against the enemy, the only units of the Fleet that could come to grips with the Japanese for months to come. It was to the Submarine Force that I looked to carry the load until our great industrial activity could produce the weapons we so sorely needed to carry the war to the enemy. It is to the everlasting honor and glory of our submarine personnel that they never failed us in our days of great peril."
By the end of World War II, submarines had made more than 1,600 war patrols. Pacific Fleet submarines like Grunion accounted for more than half of all enemy shipping sunk during the war. The cost of this success was heavy: 52 U.S. Pacific Fleet submarines were lost, and more than 3,500 submariners remain on "eternal patrol."
A representative of the submarine force will speak on behalf of the U.S. Navy at a memorial service in Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 11. The service, hosted by the USS Cod Memorial, will honor the 70 crewmembers killed when USS Grunion was sunk near the Aleutian Islands on or about July 30, 1942.
"To provide ourselves and the families this closure, it's icing on the cake," said John Abele. "The memorial service is a symbolic event; we've discovered family we didn't know we had. Not only is this an honor for all of us, it increases the feeling of community we've been able to achieve."
For more news from Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/subpac/.
In this undated file photo the submarine USS Grunion (SS 216) is seen underway. Grunion was reported lost on August 16, 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. U.S. Navy Photo (Released)
Take a tour of a GATO Class submarine if you ever get the chance. An 11,000 mile Pacific criuse at ten knots on those things was NOT a vacation.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
God rest your souls, and God bless the family and loved ones who now have some closure after all of these years.
God bless all those sailors. And that goes double for these men who went out in those first chaotic 6 months after Pearl Harbor. The fear, the cold, the seemingly impossible odds, the malfuctioning torpedoes, the bravery that defies words.
So proud of them.
Anyone visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial MUST also visit the under publicised USS Bowfin museum -- walking distance from the Pearl museum.
We've done it twice.....well worth it, and most humbling.
Lawrence Richard Kockler, of New Haven, Conn, was one of 70 men lost when the submarine USS Grunion was declared missing in 1942.
Betty Kockler was 12 years old when a telegram arrived for her mother at their home in Connecticut.
She got hold of her mother at work, Winchester Repeating Arms Co. in New Haven, Conn., but was told to go to school and that her mother would read the message when she got home.
“I think she knew what it was,” Betty Kockler said in an August 2007 interview.
The telegram, dated Sept. 29, 1942, informed the Kocklers that Lawrence Richard Kockler, the eldest of four, was missing in the performance of his duty to the Navy. The telegram also warned that details of his ship and station should not be revealed “to prevent possible aid to our enemies” and that delay in additional details should be expected.
He was a torpedoman’s mate, 1st class, serving aboard the Grunion. It was on its first voyage, having left New London, Conn., in May 1942, soon after Lawrence Kockler married. Last year, Betty Kockler was visiting her brother, William, at his Elizabeth City, NC, home when they heard the news that the Grunion might have been found.“We had always wondered what had happened,” William Kockler said in an interview last year. “Now, hopefully, the experts will be able to figure it out.”
What an amazing story...Commaning Officer Abele’s sons must be as remarkable as their Dad. And they must have been raised by a woman who knew no bounds to her love and loyalty for her husband.
Dear Heavenly Father, Bless the lives lost aboard the Grunion. And bless their families who had to live so long without knowing...
USS MANNERT L. ABELE (DD-733)
CLASS - ALLEN M. SUMNER As Built.
Displacement 3218 Tons (Full), Dimensions, 376' 6"(oa) x 40' 10" x 14' 2" (Max)
Armament 6 x 5"/38AA (3x2), 12 x 40mm AA, 11 x 20mm AA, 10 x 21" tt.(2x5).
Machinery, 60,000 SHP; General Electric Geared Turbines, 2 screws
Speed, 36.5 Knots, Range 3300 NM@ 20 Knots, Crew 336.
Operational and Building Data
Laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath ME December 9 1943.
Launched April 23 1944 and commissioned July 4 1944.
Fate Sunk by Japanese Kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa April 12 1945.
73 of her crew were lost with the ship and remain on duty.
On Eternal Patrol...
Bernard Joseph Pickel
Rank/Rate Seaman, First Class
Birth Date March 20, 1924
From Clayton, Missouri
Decorations Purple Heart
Submarine USS Grunion (SS-216)
Loss Date July 30, 1942
http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-grunion-216.htm
Steel embrittlement due to cold water temp's? Quite a few ships were lost catastrophically especially en-route to Murmansk due to the steel becoming embrittled due to the low temperatures.
Low temperature weakened steel may have reduced the maximum depth she could dive.
BTTT
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.