This American Submarine Lost During WWII—Along With 83 Crew Members—Has Been Discovered in the Pacific Ocean
The honors-earning USS “Herring” sank in 1944 after taking down Japanese ships
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In June 1944, the USS Herring was on patrol in the Pacific Ocean when Japanese troops struck and sank the submarine. Now, more than eight decades later, underwater archaeologists have confirmed the wreck site of the World War II-era vessel.
The submarine, which still shows signs of battle damage, is submerged under more than 300 feet of water in the Kuril Islands between Japan and Russia. It sits upright on its keel and maintains “a high degree of integrity,” according to a June 1 statement from Naval History and Heritage Command.
“The wreck represents the final resting place of sailors who gave their lives in defense of the nation and should be respected by all parties as a war grave,” according to the statement.
The Herring was constructed in 1941 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and entered service in 1942. The submarine conducted war patrols around the world, including in the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and the Pacific, and is credited with sinking seven enemy vessels.
In spring 1944, during its eighth war patrol, the Herring headed toward the Kuril Islands, a volcanic archipelago that was then under Japanese control. On the evening of May 31, 1944, the Herring briefly met up with USS Barb to coordinate patrol areas around the islands, and then the two submarines went their separate ways.
On June 1, 1944, the Herring came upon two Japanese merchant ships, the Hiburi Maru and Iwaki Maru, anchored off Matsuwa Island. The submarine attacked and sank both vessels but suffered a counterattack by Japanese shore batteries.
After Japanese forces struck the submarine twice, “bubbles covered an area about 5 meters wide, and heavy oil covered an area of approximately 15 miles,” according to a history of the ship shared by Naval History and Heritage Command. When the submarine went down, all 83 crew members onboard lost their lives, including the vessel’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander D. Zabriskie Jr.
When the Herring did not report to Midway, the vessel was presumed lost and later stricken from the Navy Register. The submarine was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two battle stars, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three battle stars and the World War II Victory Medal. Meanwhile, as the end of the war drew near, Soviet forces invaded the Kuril Islands and took control of the archipelago.
In 2017, a Russian expedition discovered the wreck of a submarine that was suspected to be the Herring. In 2022, Russian researchers returned to the site to investigate the wreck and honor the fallen crew members.
After two American volunteer researchers and one Japanese researcher analyzed data provided by the Russians, the leaders of the Naval History and Heritage Command now agree the sunken vessel is the Herring.
“Herring’s discovery is a powerful reminder that we have an obligation to the sailors and Marines who gave their lives in service to our nation,” says Samuel J. Cox, director of Naval History and Heritage Command, in a statement shared with Military.com’s Ryan Thomas LaBee. “It is also a testament to the value of international collaboration in uncovering and preserving the truth of our shared history.”
Did you know? Searching for ships
The Herring is the latest find in an ongoing effort to locate and identify WWII shipwrecks. In 2024, the U.S. Navy discovered the final resting place of the USS Harder, nicknamed “Hit ‘em HARDER,” a submarine that sank in the South China Sea near the island of Luzon in August 1944. Last year, researchers found the lost bow of the USS New Orleans, a U.S. Navy cruiser that famously sailed backward after being hit by a Japanese torpedo, and the Teruzuki, a Japanese destroyer that sank near the Solomon Islands in 1942.Finding and investigating sunken military vessels is “a great opportunity to remember the valor and sacrifices of sailors who fought with extreme tenacity and skill, on both sides,” Cox said in a statement last year. “Sailors don’t start wars, but they do what their governments ask.”
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