Long-Lost Cold War Submarine Discovered After Six Decades At Ocean’s Depths

As the camera navigated the ocean floor 11,000 feet below the surface, he saw the figure he sought. This was it, the prize they had all been searching to discover.

But the technology used to locate subs has changed. Tim, an expert ocean explorer, used a combination of advanced sonars, imaging equipment, and remotely-operated vehicles to zero in on the missing sub’s location. This allowed him to discover the 60-year-old mystery lying beneath the waters.

But there’s so much more to the story than the length of time since it went missing. Built during World War II, it was one of 120 Balao-class subs under the US Navy. It makes one wonder what’s special about one sub when there are 119 others just like it. As this story unfolds, you’ll realize that all the fuss about it is well worth it.

This line of subs was named after the Balao halfbeak, a kind of schooling marine fish. The USS Balao was the first to be launched out of the entire class from Portsmouth Navy Yard in Maine on October 27, 1942.

Based on its structure, the hull could only break once it reached around 900 feet in depth. But in a time of war, not everything is predictable, and the mighty Stickleback ended up at the bottom of the ocean despite its strength.

The Stickleback was launched from the Mare Island Navy Yard in California in March 1944. It had four ten-cylinder diesel engines that powered twin propellers plus four high-speed electric motors. The way the Stickleback was engineered was so impressive that no one foresaw what was going to happen.

Aside from the powerful engine, its speed was also because of its overall design. Even at its widest point, its width only measured 27 feet.

It had a good capacity in terms of its crew as well. In charge of its voyages was a total of 10 officers, with 71 seamen working round the clock to keep it going.

There were six 21-inch torpedo launching tubes at the Stickleback’s prow and four more at the stern, a total of ten in all. It also had two cannons and a five-inch deck gun that could be used once the sub reached the surface. Needless to say, no one would want to be in the Stickleback’s path once these weapons were in gear.

The Stickleback was officially added as part of the fleet in March 1945, but its final fitting was not completed until late May. Commander Lawrence G. Bernard was declared as the sub’s skipper, and he looked forward to the task, not knowing what lay ahead of him.

It was an uneventful six-day journey. Once the Stickleback arrived in Pearl Harbor, the sub and its crew immediately started training for their next adventure.

On the same day, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, then proceeded to drop another one on Nagasaki after three days. Because of this, Japan decided to surrender. By August 15, a ceasefire was declared, and the Stickleback awaited its next orders. The war may have been over, but there was more in store for Stickleback and its crew.

But that didn’t mean there were no worries for the crew. Despite the war ending, there were still a few hostile entities around them that kept them on alert the entire time.

Upon closer inspection, the rafts carried 19 men in total. Since the war had just ended, these men wondered whether these Americans would help them out or would be hostile to them. But they still decided to take their chances instead of continuing to drift at sea.

They say that there were almost 40 of them on the ship in total. However, not everyone managed to survive the ordeal, and the 19 men on the raft were the only ones who managed to get through it alive.

Once they were sure the sailors were alright, Stickleback headed towards Guam and, soon after that, to San Francisco. The crew members were now about to see what was in store for them.

In early 1946, the submarine headed to Pearl Harbor once again. Then, come June of the same year; it was back to the Mare Island Yard in California, where the sub was finally decommissioned. But this didn’t mark the end of Stickleback’s adventures.

This Cold War brought the Stickleback crew together once again and prepared them for a new adventure together. The crew headed off to where the action was, unsure of what kind of experiences they would have this time around.

The sub once again took part in a series of training exercises to get it ready for action. But this time, it wasn’t the strong machine it once was. It was during a training session in California in November 1942 when they decided to decommission it once again, ready to be retired soon.

It took ten months to overhaul the sub to help it meet the standards at that time. These improvements included upgrades on the battery and sonar, as well as a brand-new snorkel.

The Stickleback crew was given one aim–to go on reconnaissance missions focusing specifically on Soviet ships. Once they had their orders, they headed straight to Japan, towards their new homeport in Yokosuka. By now, the Cold War was in full gear, and there were many risks to mind. Unfortunately, these missions would also be the downfall of the mighty Stickleback.

The task was simple–take photos and videos of Soviet vessels in the area. This helped monitor Soviet movement around the general area and allowed the US to strategize its next move. It was a pretty straightforward mission, and things were quiet for some time.

It also went on successful patrol missions, maximizing the time it spent at sea. With all that they had contributed, the crew was given six days to rest from their duties. They all looked forward to it, thinking that the entire Cold War was going to be as smooth as this.

But Stickleback wasn’t built to sneak around and go on reconnaissance missions. It was originally built as a battle-ready war sub for WWII. The crew did not fully realize this fact until they set off on their 5th mission.

It was in May 1958 when Stickleback’s fate suddenly took a different direction. Training exercises were expected as a common occurrence to the sub’s crew, especially since this was their second war. But one training exercise turned out to be different.

This type of training involved shooting dummy torpedoes toward Silverstein. The training was done around the Hawaiian islands and was supposed to run until the next day. It was a routine exercise, so as tiring as it may have seemed, it was nothing new to all the crew involved.

But what was supposed to be a routine dive started to take a different turn. The sub lost propulsion and was suddenly out of control and quickly zoomed 800 feet below the surface. Things quickly went from a routine exercise into a complete disaster.

At this depth, the pressure would be so high the sub’s hull wouldn’t be able to keep things intact. Imagine a soda can being crushed when you suddenly tighten your grip–that’s what was bound to happen if the sub continued going deeper at that fast a pace.

Although Stickleback was now safe from being crushed like a tin can due to hull pressure, it resurfaced just 600 feet away from the Silverstein. The Stickleback was directly in the destroyer’s path! Would the Stickleback be capable of avoiding yet another would-be disaster twice in one day?

The Silverstein crew did everything they could to avoid ramming into the Stickleback, including setting the rudder to the farthest left and reversing its engines. But these did not help at all. The destroyer rammed straight into the sub’s port side, leaving a huge gash in the hull.

Barron said that it happened just before lunchtime. They suddenly lost power when the sub took a sudden dive. The emergency lights immediately took over then he heard the main ballast tanks start to blow. It all happened so quickly, but the crew members were also quick to act.

He said they were suddenly on the surface, and before anybody could even catch their breath, they were hit by the destroyer. He remembered that it was such a huge crash that they were all knocked down as the sub tilted to its starboard side.

He shared that he never realized how dreadful the words “Abandon ship” truly were for a sailor like him. He saw his entire life, including an image of a high school girlfriend, pass before his eyes as they all scrambled around, moving through the motions and following the usual protocols laid out for emergencies like this.

All of the Stickleback’s crew were able to transfer to the other vessel without any additional problems. But the submarine itself did not have the same luck. Other vessels started coming, but nobody could stop the sub from sinking and disappearing into the ocean’s depths.

They all saw the sub go down, with the stern pointing towards the sky as the rest of the craft went deeper into the ocean. Finally, part by part, it started to disappear, missing for the next few decades until it was found.

Based on the data, the sub was around 20 miles off Oahu’s coastline when it sank–this area was around 11,000 feet deep. Knowing that the currents and other conditions would have made the sub’s exact location difficult to trace, everybody knew this was not an easy mission. But Tim Taylor and the crew involved in the Lost 52 Project were up for the challenge.

But Taylor knew this project wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t extend their search to the subs that disappeared during the Cold War as well. After all, the Stickleback still served during WWII and had made significant contributions throughout its service.

The missing vessels’ locations could also bring closure to the families of the sailors who went down with their ships. They could finally give everyone more details on where those sailors were laid to rest.

At that time, the Lost 52 Project had found six submarines from WWII and the Cold War, bringing closure to the families of the sailors who served there. He says that with every discovery, they unlock another piece of history and bring honor to the people who fought for their country.