Wreck of Famed WWII-Era American Submarine USS Harder (SS-257) Discovered In the South China Sea

The wreck of yet another American submarine lost during the Second World War has been located beneath the water’s surface. The USS Harder (SS-257) sunk following a depth-charge attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in August 1944, with her crew of 79 going down with her. Nearly 80 years later, the vessel has been found by the Lost 52 Project, in the South China Sea.

USS Harder (SS-257), 1944. (Photo Credit: U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Harder was one of the most successful American submarines to operate in the Pacific Theater during World War II, earning the Presidential Unit Citation. She performed six patrols over the course of the conflict, beginning in 1943, and her success against enemy vessels ultimately earned her the motto, “Hit ’em HARDER.” One of her final patrols even saw her destroy two Japanese destroyers and sink three, delaying the IJN’s carrier force.

The submarine met her end on August 24, 1944, while she was on her final patrol. Operating near Dasol Bay, off the coast of the northern Philippines with the USS Hake (SS-256), Harder was hunting two Japanese vessels. After firing three torpedoes at the escort CD-22, she encountered a depth-charge attack, which resulted in her sinking with her 79-man crew. Among those aboard were Cmdr. Samuel Dealey, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Hake managed to escape the situation.

USS Harder (SS-257), 1944. (Photo Credit: U.S. Navy National Naval Aviation Museum / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The discovery of Harder‘s wreck came through efforts by Lost 52 Project and Tiburon Subsea CEO Tim Taylor, who has dedicated his life to locating American submarines that were lost during the Second World War. Through data collected via the deployment of underwater robotics and advanced photogrammetry, he and his team were able to capture images of the sunken vessel.

According to the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), Harder‘s wreck is over 3,000 feet beneath the surface of the South China Sea. Her keel is largely intact, except for where she’d suffered damage from the depth charge attack, just aft of her conning tower.

“Harder was lost in the course of victory. We must not forget that victory has a price, as does freedom,” Samuel J. Cox, director of the NHHC and a retired US Navy rear admiral, said in a statement. “We are grateful that Lost 52 has given us the opportunity to once again honor the valor of the crew of the ‘Hit ’em HARDER’ submarine that sank the most Japanese warships – in particularly audacious attacks – under her legendary skipper, Cmdr. Sam Dealey.”

USS Harder (SS-257), 1944. (Photo Credit: Air Group Commander Andrew Jackson, U.S. Navy / U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

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Among the Lost 52 Project’s previous successes were the locating of the wrecks of the USS Grayback (SS-208), Grunion (SS-216), Stickleback (SS-415), S-28 (SS-133), S-26 (SS-131) and R-12 (SS-89).

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Wreck of Famed WWII-Era American Submarine USS Harder (SS-257) Discovered In the South China Sea
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