After 78 Years, Autonomous Underwater Robots Locate Sunken WWII Destroyer (cnn.com) 39
"Over the past 13 years, Tim Taylor and Christine Dennison have scoured the ocean floor using autonomous underwater robots," according to a history writer's commentary on CNN, "to discover and document the wrecks of seven US submarines lost in World War II."
Taylor and Dennison are ensuring that more families of those lost know where their loved ones' deep-water graves reside. They are racing against time as underwater development threatens many of these wrecks... Budget constraints hinder the Navy from devoting resources to undertaking these kinds of searches, according to Taylor, and his team is showing how private groups can fill the gap.
A philanthropic private investment group funds the expeditions, the article points out, adding that Taylor and Dennison "hope to employ the special autonomous underwater technology they created to help others map the ocean floor for environmental and other purposes."
Their latest find was part of the 82-day battle of Okinawa in 1945: The USS Mannert L. Abele, which the explorers found 4,500 feet under the Pacific Ocean and 81 miles from the nearest landmass, was the first American ship sunk by an unusual type of rocket-powered Japanese kamikaze plane... Though the Abele managed to shoot down two aircraft and damage or fend off others, at six minutes in, a Japanese fighter plunged into the destroyer's engine room and exploded, cutting off all electrical power. Just a minute later, another, much more unusual, plane slammed into the destroyer's hull. The Abele had been struck by a unique rocket-propelled kamikaze plane called the MXY7 Ohka ("Cherry Blossom"), which due to its very short range had to be carried under the belly of a larger bomber until close to US ships, whereupon it was released to soar toward its target at immense speed.
The detonation of this manned missile's 1.3 tons of explosives caused the ship to seemingly break into two and begin sinking. In a matter of minutes, 84 sailors and officers had been killed. Japanese aircraft strafed the surviving crew as they jumped into the oil-slick water, but two smaller landing craft escorting the Abele shot down two more planes and beat off the rest, managing to rescue 255 crew members.
Nearly eight decades later, modern robotics technologies allowed Taylor and Dennison to find the destroyer's submerged hull. In the past, Taylor noted, it would have been practically inconceivable for a small, private team to have undertaken the cumbersome search process that, Taylor estimated, would have taken four to five times as long and cost significantly more money...
It was on their last remaining day of a more-than-month-long search, just before bad weather would force them to conclude the expedition, that they spotted the Abele's wreck.
A philanthropic private investment group funds the expeditions, the article points out, adding that Taylor and Dennison "hope to employ the special autonomous underwater technology they created to help others map the ocean floor for environmental and other purposes."
Their latest find was part of the 82-day battle of Okinawa in 1945: The USS Mannert L. Abele, which the explorers found 4,500 feet under the Pacific Ocean and 81 miles from the nearest landmass, was the first American ship sunk by an unusual type of rocket-powered Japanese kamikaze plane... Though the Abele managed to shoot down two aircraft and damage or fend off others, at six minutes in, a Japanese fighter plunged into the destroyer's engine room and exploded, cutting off all electrical power. Just a minute later, another, much more unusual, plane slammed into the destroyer's hull. The Abele had been struck by a unique rocket-propelled kamikaze plane called the MXY7 Ohka ("Cherry Blossom"), which due to its very short range had to be carried under the belly of a larger bomber until close to US ships, whereupon it was released to soar toward its target at immense speed.
The detonation of this manned missile's 1.3 tons of explosives caused the ship to seemingly break into two and begin sinking. In a matter of minutes, 84 sailors and officers had been killed. Japanese aircraft strafed the surviving crew as they jumped into the oil-slick water, but two smaller landing craft escorting the Abele shot down two more planes and beat off the rest, managing to rescue 255 crew members.
Nearly eight decades later, modern robotics technologies allowed Taylor and Dennison to find the destroyer's submerged hull. In the past, Taylor noted, it would have been practically inconceivable for a small, private team to have undertaken the cumbersome search process that, Taylor estimated, would have taken four to five times as long and cost significantly more money...
It was on their last remaining day of a more-than-month-long search, just before bad weather would force them to conclude the expedition, that they spotted the Abele's wreck.
Wow! (Score:5, Funny)
You mean we've had autonomous underwater robots for 78 years? Who knew? I wonder what other awesome tech innovations they've been hiding from us!
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There was a sunken WWII?
I don't recall seeing it on History Channel.
Re: Wow! (Score:2)
I'm not sure, but doesn't that comma separate the statement.
Re: Wow! (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, but it doesn't save the sentence.
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You mean we've had autonomous underwater robots for 78 years?
I'm even more amazed they could operate that long, and in a hostile environment no less!
This is not just interesting for archeologists (Score:5, Interesting)
This steel is worth millions. I kid you not.
There is a small but very well paying market for steel produced before July 16th 1945
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Damn. I've got a yard full of old steel but it was made on the 17th.
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Damn. Well, maybe you can fake it, if you've been far enough away from Los Alamos and upwind from it, it just might work.
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Uh... why?
I feel like we haven't lost the riddle of steel between 1945 and now. Should be zero challenge to replicate.
Re:This is not just interesting for archeologists (Score:5, Informative)
July 16th 1945 was the date of the first nuclear explosion. Any steel produced before then is known as "low background steel":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Radioactive particles from years of nuclear bomb explosions makes its way into all steel produced since 1945.
It is also used to spot fake wine [npr.org]. Any wine produced after that date will have Cesium 137 in it, something which was not present on this planet until after we started detonating nuclear weaposn.
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Trinity.
Any steel produced afterwards is contaminated with radioactive isotopes. Don't worry, it doesn't matter for 99.9% of all applications and it sure as all hell doesn't matter to you since the radiation from the contamination is a fraction of what you get when you get an x-ray, but if you're in a biz where you need steel that doesn't contain any radioactive contamination because you're trying to do some very sensitive radioactive stuff, you want steel without those contaminants.
And yes, that pays WELL.
Its a war grave (Score:3)
This steel is worth millions. I kid you not
It's a war grave. Salvage is illegal. The wreck is property of the US gov't.
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Yeah, that has kept grave robbers from stealing throughout history.
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Yeah, that has kept grave robbers from stealing throughout history.
That typically happens long after the gov't that buried the soldiers/sailors no longer exists. Attempt a salvage operation at this location now and a USN or USCG vessel will probably visit to have a talk.
Not completely off topic (Score:4, Interesting)
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Good to see the Chinese are into recycling. Much less pollution than making new steel.
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That's better than leaving them on the bottom.
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That's better than leaving them on the bottom.
Not really, they are war graves. Property of the US gov't. Salvage is illegal.
Wow - what a great storyline! (Score:2)
'It was on their last remaining day of a more-than-month-long search, just before bad weather would force them to conclude the expedition, that they spotted the Abele's wreck.'
A plot development worthy of Hollywood...
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"Indeed, this was the last day the team would be out on the Atlantic before returning empty-handed. It was this disappointing resignation that made way for dad's theory to be tested....
'I convinced Mr. Grimm to send down the sub and the sonar equipment one last time. It was a huge gamble, but time was running out and it was in the direction of our return anyway. He agreed. Simple as that.'
After the sub was bumped and her camera was photographing the endless silt, the small rocks, and t
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The Navy can't be bothered with cleaning up their messes... too busy burning tax dollars making new ones.
78 years (Score:2)
Amazing! It's amazing those robots were able to keep working for 78 years.
wut? (Score:2)
"..... Budget constraints hinder the Navy from devoting resources to undertaking these kinds of searches..."
The USN budget 2023 is $56bn.
The single non functional CVN Ford has cost $37bn.
The boondoggle LCS nonsense program which was ridiculous and unachievable from day one cost more than $31 bn.
Don't fucking tell me the Navy doesn't have the funds to minimally locate the graves of sailors who died in the line of duty.
Jesus Christ, I bet something like 1/3 of active vessels at sea at this moment are running
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Bullshit, a quite google for the wikipedia entry: Cost: $12.8 billion + $4.7 billion R&D (estimated).
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Could you maybe be *slightly* more specific about what you're talking about?
Hint: nobody can hear that raging voice inside your head. We can't hear what you're thinking.
On This Memorial Day, Remember- (Score:2)
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What, now you're blaming Grandpa for your cold latte?
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Fighting in the Boer war? What does that have to do with iced coffee?
In memory (Score:3)
The Okinawa campaign took 62 of my dad's shipmates; he was pulled from the water after being left for dead. Kamikaze Val strike sent USS Pringle down in 6 minutes. They were 70 miles NW of Okinawa at what was designated Radar Picket Station 14, serving essentially as kamikaze bait. My dad likely survived because he was assigned an above deck station that day, substituting for a previous casualty.
USS Pringle [navy.mil]
In memory of those lost that day, and now also of the survivors.
In particular memory of a young Black sailor whose story was brought forward by his family, who was lost after diving in repeatedly to rescue shipmates:
Edward Roy Burton [usspringle.org]
underwater development threatens wrecks (Score:2)
So what underwater development is happening "4,500 feet under the Pacific Ocean and 81 miles from the nearest landmass" ?
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Even the Germans were never able to keep more than 100 or so ME262s in service at a time out of the nearly 1400 the built.
But ya- the Japanese plane is news to me too.