A team of researchers has discovered the wreck of the famous US Navy submarine USS Harder, SS 257, considered to have played a very significant role during World War II, lying about 3,000 feet below the surface off the northern Philippine island of Luzon. The finding has been confirmed by the Navy’s History and Heritage Command, or NHHC, and this is a momentous day in the history of the Navy.
The USS Harder, under the command of Cmdr. Samuel D. Dealey was commissioned on December 2, 1942, and lost at sea with all 79 crewmen aboard on August 24, 1944, on its sixth war patrol. It is noted for its audacious attacks and the significant contribution it made to the war, especially during its fifth patrol, where it sank three Japanese destroyers and heavily damaged two others over four days. The Japanese were then forced to change their battle plans, which contributed to their defeat in the ensuing battles.
The identification of the wreck is based on data provided by Tim Taylor, chief executive officer of Tiburon Subsea and The Lost 52 Project, which since its founding has been working to locate the 52 U.S. submarines lost during the Second World War. Taylor himself, who in 2021 received a Distinguished Public Service Award from the Navy for his work locating numerous lost naval vessels, had previously found several other WWII submarines, including USS Grayback (SS 208) and USS Grunion (SS 216).
NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, a retired US Navy admiral observed the losses involved in triumph as well as in liberty. “Harder was lost in the course of victory. We must not forget that victory has a price, as does freedom,” he stated.
The last mission of USS Harder involved a series of attacks along Luzon. On 22 August 1944, Harder, operating in company with USS Haddo, sank two Japanese escort vessels off Bataan. The following day, Haddo damaged the destroyer Asakaze, and Harder, with USS Hake, continued the hunt for victims. On 24 August, Harder fired a salvo of torpedoes at the Japanese escort CD-22 but missed the target. She was caught in a series of depth charge attacks, which eventually sent the submarine down.
The wreck of the USS Harder was found sitting upright, relatively intact but for damage behind its conning tower; it is now considered a war grave. The NHHC has underscored that the site should be treated as a grave site-the last resting place of the brave sailors who lost their lives.
Cmdr. Dealey was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in action against enemy Japanese forces during Harder’s fifth patrol. The submarine and its crew also received the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism in action.
The finding of USS Harder not only pays respect to the memory of its crew but also serves as a very poignant reminder of the sacrifices during World War II.