Researchers Locate Wreck of an ‘Intact’ American Submarine That Sank in San Diego Waters During WWI

The mysteries of the deep ocean have long fascinated humanity. Despite advances in marine exploration, some wrecks have remained unsolved for decades. But recent breakthroughs in deep-sea imaging are revamping what is possible and hidden in naval history. Earlier this year, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and supported by the National Science Foundation, discovered a World War I-era American submarine, as per Live Science.

The USS F-1, settled at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, is just a few miles off the coast of San Diego. In 1917, unfortunately, it drowned. However, the sub has finally been resurfaced over a century later. Bruce Strickrott, manager of the Alvin group at WHOI, shared, "The combined strength of the two capabilities has transformed deep-sea oceanographic research and exploration and is becoming a routine part of Alvin scientific missions," as per Live Science. Do you know that the USS F-1 went down in just ten seconds after colliding with its sister ship, the USS F-3, during a foggy training exercise? Sadly, out of 24 crew members, only five survived. Nineteen sailors ceased to exist.

While it had been briefly spotted by a Navy submersible in the 1970s, modern technology has now given experts an unprecedented look at its final resting place. Resting over 1,300 feet (400 meters) below the surface, the F-1 lies on its starboard side, stunningly well-preserved despite the deadly pressure and century-long submersion. Due to the extreme depth, the survey was conducted with the help of WHOI’s advanced underwater vehicles (the human-occupied vehicle (HOV) Alvin and the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry). Strickrott explained, "Advanced ocean technology and simple teamwork played a big part in delivering these new images… Once we identified the wreck and determined it was safe to dive, we were able to capture never-before-seen perspectives of the sub," as per Phys.Org.

Over seven dives between February 24 and March 4, sonar systems and high-definition cameras on Alvin and Sentry gave top-notch videos and models of the sub and the surrounding seafloor. Bradley Krueger, an underwater archaeologist with the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), revealed, "USS F-1 was conducting a 48-hour engineering run and performance test traveling from San Pedro and San Diego, CA, when the accident occurred," as per Live Science. Moreover, a solemn remembrance ceremony was held aboard the research vessel Atlantis. The bell was rung 19 times (one for each sailor).

Moreover, Lisa Clough, the acting division director for the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences, shared, "Although HOV Alvin and AUV Sentry are critical for revealing deep-sea geologic hazards…they also offer opportunities to train the next generation of scientists…" according to Phys.Org. Another important point to note is that the very same expedition also documented the wreck of a 1950 U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber nearby. Though severely damaged, all crew members reportedly survived that crash. Experts are hopeful of unraveling further mysteries shrouded in the deep, dark waters.