WWII US Navy Submarine Located After 80 Years Lost At Sea

World War II saw numerous submarines on all sides of the fight etch their names into the history books. While the most legendary of WWII submarines did so through their battle records and the high-profile nature of the conflicts they took part in, others are remembered for having been lost. One such submarine was the USS Herring, whose memory has endured after its sinking and subsequent disappearance on June 1, 1944. Over 80 years later, though, the vessel is making headlines for finally being rediscovered.

The story of the Herring's reemergence dates back to 2017, when the Russian Geographic Society and the Russian Military discovered a shipwreck of some kind in the Pacific Ocean — more specifically, just off the coast of Matsuwa Island, Japan. Those involved theorized that they had found the remnants of the Herring and, in 2022, they returned to reexamine the wreckage and honor the 83 United States Navy crew members killed almost a century ago. 

Come 2026, the United States Naval History and Heritage Command confirmed that the wreckage was indeed the USS Herring using data collected on these visits. Despite the extensive damage it suffered, the NHHC noted that the vessel sits upright on the ocean floor — where it will remain. Hopefully, this confirmation will provide some closure to those with ties to the vessel; after all, the story and circumstances of its destruction are undeniably tragic.

The story of the USS Herring begins at the height of World War II. The submarine, one of many Gato-class submarines (like the one pictured above), launched out of Kittery, Maine, on January 15, 1942, and was formally commissioned on May 4 that year. During its first two years of active service, it completed eight patrols throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, sinking seven enemy ships in the process. In late May 1944, the 311-foot, 8-inch vessel and its crew set off on what would unfortunately be their final expedition.

On May 21, the Herring departed Midway after a typical stop to patrol the area around the Kurile Islands. Ten days later, the ship made contact for the final time with the USS Barb before going completely silent. The sub reportedly sank two Japanese vessels, the Ishigaki and Hokuyo Maru, during the evening from May 30 to 31, and later sank the Hiburi Maru and Iwaki Maru on June 1. Unfortunately for the Herring and its crew, coastal artillery fire from nearby Matsuwa Island struck the sub's conning tower twice. With that, the Herring took on water and sank to the depths of the Pacific Ocean, where it waited 82 years for researchers to find it.

World War II has no shortage of submarine sinkings — look no further than the tragic tale of the USS Grayback for another example. Thus, it's always good to know that researchers can find these vessels and subsequently honor the sacrifice their brave crewmembers made so many decades ago.