Tiburon Subsea has found a wreck of WWII submarine USS S-28 (SS-133) off the cost of Oahu, Hawaii.
Utilizing Kongsberg Maritime’s Hugin autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and hydro acoustic technology the USS S-28 was located in 2650 meters of water .
The survey expedition was part of Tiburon Subsea’s commitment to the ‘Lost 52 Project’, a long-term exploration and underwater archaeological project that is documenting and preserving the story of the 52 lost WWII US submarines.
In locating the wreck of USS S-28, the discovery team has found the final resting place of 49 US sailors providing family members with a measure of closure and peace, the company said.
“It is an honour to locate the final resting place of our WWII submariners and be able to offer some closure to their families,” said Tim Taylor, CEO of Tiburon Subsea. “Our work has been enabled by a dedicated team and state-of-the-art technology, including the Hugin AUVs and onboard Kongsberg instruments, which helped us to efficiently search the seafloor over a mile and a half deep.”
Both Hugin AUV’s used are depth rated to 4500 meters and kitted out with high-end hydro acoustic imaging systems including t-e EM2040 multi beam echo sounder and the HISAS 1032 synthetic aperture sonar with in-mission processing for SAS imagery.
“While Kongsberg Maritime Hugin AUV systems equipped with our acoustic sensors are commonly used in commercial operations, the platform is also perfect for marine archaeology projects. The capability to cover large areas and generate high resolution data make searching for a relatively small target much more efficient,” said Richard Mills, director Solutions, Marine Robotics and Infrastructure Sales, Kongsberg Maritime. “I congratulate Tim Taylor for his discovery and pleased that Kongsberg technology helped enable his work.”
A total of 52 US Submarines were lost in WWII with 374 officers and 3131 men of the Submarine Force who gave their lives. Currently, seven of the ‘Lost 52’ that have been found.