Whatever happened to SS371?
SS371 was last heard from May 3, 1945, as it was preparing to attack a Japanese convoy under heavy escorts. According to Japanese war records that were later revealed, the minelayer Hatsutaka reported sinking a U.S. submarine at roughly the same time and location.
Navy divers completed six days of diving operations on June 16 in the Gulf of Thailand on wreckage believed to be that of the lost World War II submarine SS 371. "Without a doubt, it's a U.S. submarine, a Balao-class," said U.S. 7th Fleet Diving Officer, Cmdr. Tony San Jose.
Until now, crew members' families did not know the exact circumstances surrounding the 86 submariners who perished. Cassias met May 6 with family members of the crew at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, where a memorial service was held to honor the lost crew. Last year, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed a proclamation making May 3, the day the craft was presumed sunk, as USS Lagarto Remembrance Day in perpetuity.
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=24211 |
