WWI submarine captured in never-before-seen photos over century after it sank off San Diego coast

On Dec. 17, 1917, the U.S. submarine USS F-1 was misplaced at sea throughout a coaching accident off the coast of California, killing 19 crew members on board. Now, simply days earlier than Memorial Day, scientists have introduced they’ve captured unprecedented photos of the ultimate resting place of the World Struggle I-era sub greater than 1,300 ft under the ocean’s floor

The high-definition photos of the usF-1 have been captured after a gaggle of interagency groups used cutting-edge deep-sea imaging know-how throughout an expedition earlier this yr, in keeping with information launch from the Woods Gap Oceanographic Establishment.

USS F-1 collided with its sister ship, USS F-3, throughout workouts on the oean’s floor off San Diego eight days earlier than Christmas in 1917, in keeping with the Submarine Power Library and Museum Affiliation. USS F-1 sank in simply 10 seconds, and solely 5 of the sub’s 24 crewmen have been rescued. The sub was misplaced for practically 60 years till it  was situated by a Navy deep submersible automobile that was out on the lookout for a jet fighter that crashed in 1972, the affiliation mentioned.

“It seemed like an enormous ax had hit her,” mentioned Lt. Dave Magyar, the pilot of the submersible that noticed the usF-1, in keeping with a newspaper story from 1976. However a close-up survey was not attainable given the depth of the submarine.

Till now.

With help from the Workplace of Naval Analysis (ONR), the Naval Historical past and Heritage Command (NHHC) and the Nationwide Science Basis, the Woods Gap Oceanographic Establishment staff dispatched a human-occupied automobile named Alvin in addition to a distant underwater automobile named Sentry to seize the close-up photos.

Utilizing sonar methods on Sentry and the analysis vessel Atlantis, the staff was in a position to efficiently conduct meticulous surveys of the submarine.

“As soon as we recognized the wreck and decided it was secure to dive, we have been in a position to seize never-before-seen views of the sub,” mentioned WHOI’s Bruce Strickrott, the senior pilot who helped lead the expedition. “As a U.S. Navy veteran, it was a profound honor to go to the wreck of the F-1 with our ONR and NHHC colleagues aboard Alvin.”

Throughout the expedition, the staff additionally captured photos of a U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bomber coaching plane that crashed close to the identical space in 1950. Scientists launched video and pictures of the plane, exhibiting a severely broken tail and a bent entrance propeller.

The staff performed seven dives of the F-1 wreck web site and the superior sonar methods have been in a position to produce detailed maps of the submarine and surrounding seafloor. Scientists additionally used high-resolution cameras to seize close-up video of the wreck.

Specialists then used all the info to sew collectively “photogrammetric fashions able to offering exact measurements of the sub and the animals which have colonized its wreckage through the years.”  That allowed consultants to reconstruct the F-1 submarine and produce beautiful 3-D fashions of the wreck.

After the dives, the staff held a remembrance ceremony on board Atlantis, ringing  a bell 19 instances—one for every crew member misplaced at sea.

“Historical past and archaeology are all about individuals and we felt it was essential to learn their names aloud,” mentioned underwater archaeologist Brad Krueger, who participated within the dives. “The Navy has a solemn duty to make sure the legacies of its misplaced Sailors are remembered.”