After 82 years, the mystery of the sinking of the submarine USS Herring was solved.

U.S. Navy reported that the wreck found off the coast of the Kuril Islands was identified as USS Herring (SS-233). An American submarine sank on June 1, 1944 during combat operations in the Pacific.

The unit lies off the coast of the island of Matua in the Kuryla archipelago. American findings, based on Japanese historical records and wreck analysis, indicate that USS Herring was hit twice in the kiosk area. The visible damage to this part of the ship and the tracks in the forward section correspond to the description of his last fight. The ship sank With an entire 83-man crew.

Last USS patrol Herring

USS Herring Gato type entered service in January 1942. During World War II, he acted in both the Mediterranean and the Pacific. According to U.S. combat data, the ship sank several units of its opponent during subsequent patrols.

Last contact with USS Herring reported in late May 1944 in the area of the island of Matua on the Kuryls. The ship operated there with the USS Barb. Following the separation of units, the U.S. submarine headed for the northern patrol sector and never made contact again.

June 1, 1944 USS crew Barb She heard noises in the distance strong explosions. At the time, however, it was not known exactly what happened.

The Japanese coastal battery has sunk the ship

According to preserved Japanese USS reports Herring conducted an effective attack on units anchored near Matua Island. In response, the Japanese coastal battery opened fire on the submarine.

American findings indicate that this ship was hit twice in the kiosk area. The apparent combat damage to this part of the ship and the marks in the forward section correspond to the description of his last fight. The ship sank with an entire, 83-man crew.

The wreck has already been found

The wreck was located during a Russian research expedition in 2017. Another expedition returned to the site in 2022, documenting the condition of the unit's behaviour and placing a plaque commemorating 83 crew members.

However, for many years the identity of the wreckage could not be clearly confirmed. Only analysis of the materials collected during previous studies allowed specialists from Naval History and Heritage Command to officially acknowledge that the unit found was the USS Herring.

Damage confirmed the course of the fight

The wreck is at a depth of about 90 metres and according to American specialists it remained surprisingly good. The ship's wreck is upright on the keel, and the visible damage to the foreside and the kiosk area corresponds to the descriptions in Japanese reports.

As a result, after more than eight decades, we managed not only to confirm the resting place of the ship, but also to recreate the course of its last battle.

A war grave at the bottom of the Pacific

U.S. Navy underlines that wreckage of the USS Herring remains a protected memorial site. The unit is treated as a crew's war grave and there will be no actions affecting its structure.

82 years after the disappearance of this ship, the story was finally explained. For families of sailors and naval historians this means closing one of the unsolved chapters of the submarine war on Pacific.