The U.S. had lost 52 submarines to the deep blue sea during World War II, leaving many spectators wondering what had happened to them. But one researcher decided to act.
Tim Taylor and his team made it their ultimate mission to find those submarines and in 2010 they found the first vessel. However, it wasn't until almost a decade later that the team would stumble upon a valuable submarine, revealing a 75-year-long mystery.
Image via Wikimedia commons
Because that particular submarine had disappeared off the face of the earth—without any explanation.
There’s More Beneath the Sea Than We Think
From exotic sea creatures to beautiful ecosystems, it's amazing what’s hidden beneath the water’s surface. But one of the most interesting things to find along the ocean’s floor is ships and submarines.
And for professional ocean explorer, Tim Taylor, this was more than just passion. He was focused on finding some of the United States’ most historical submarines lost in battle during World War II.
Image is for illustration only. Rostislavv/Depositphotos
But the thing about these subs is that they were nowhere to be found for decades, so how exactly was he going to find them?
Mysteriously Vanished
Just because you know something is lost, doesn’t mean you know where it was lost—after all, that’s the whole point of it being lost. But this wasn’t like losing your phone at a sporting event or something like that. These were vessels that were a few hundred feet in length!
Image is for illustration only. by kaphotokevm1/Depositphotos
These submarines weren’t just shipwrecked and lost at sea, they just mysteriously vanished into the ocean’s depth, nowhere to be found. That is, until Tim Taylor came along. But even he couldn’t prepare for what things were going to be like when he decided to start his mission.
One of Our Prized Submarines
Especially since they were military vessels, the fact that so many submarines were never heard from again made the mystery that much more captivating.
Back in 1944, there was one particular vessel that was one of the U.S. military’s most prized submarines, the USS Grayback (SS-208). This submarine was deemed lost at sea after the marine’s team on land never heard from them again.
Image via Wikipedia
The location of where the submarine was “lost”, along with what actually happened to it, had haunted people for many years. So how exactly was this vessel lost at sea in the first place?
10 Successful Missions
The whole story begins during World War II. The USS Grayback had set sail out of Pearl Harbor towards the end of 1941, and ended up being one of the most important vessels during that time.
Its sole purpose was to sink freight vessels, damage cargo ships, and take down the rival submarine’s—and that it did!
Image is for illustration only. via Wikipedia
Over the course of about two years, the submarine had been a part of 10 successful war patrol missions, hitting and sinking a total of 63,835 tons of cargo and 14 ships.
Not Just an Attack Vessel
1942 was a big year for the USS Grayback. The team and vessel had hit it’s very first target (a 3,291-ton freight ship) on March 17, and within the next few months, it had proven to be a vicious vessel for any enemy target. But damaging the enemy’s cargo ships and subs wasn’t the only thing the USS Grayback was known for.
The vicious vessel also honorably assisted in the rescue of six survivors after a B-26 plane crashed in January 1943.
Image is for illustration only. via U.S. Naval Undersea Museum/Flickr
Little did they know that just a year later, the submarine itself would be the one who needed rescuing.
Returning to Restock and Reload
The way things work with military vessels, especially when they’re in an area far from populated areas, is that they are supposed to be sent out for a certain amount of time before going back.
Image is for illustration only. via Wikipedia
And since the USS Grayback was a submarine, the team on it was prepared to be out at sea for a long period of time. After all, they would be under the water and needed to be prepared for any and all scenarios. But after its 9th mission out to sea, the SS-208 made a safe return to shore to rest and prepare for its next war patrol.
