MUSKEGON, Mich. — A memorial was held today honoring a World War II submarine that was lost in 1944. After nearly 80 years, there was a moment of closure for families of the 85 sailors who were lost on the USS Albacore.
The USS Albacore submarine, active in World War II, served 11 war patrols. The submarine was ‘lost with all hands', meaning no one from the crew survived.
Since 1944, families of those who were on the submarine have been left with little to no information about what happened.
Son of sailor, William Bower, said "My father was an officer on the albacore. I was born two months after the albacore was lost in November of 1944.I’ve always wanted to know where his final resting place was."
Last year-- 78 years after the Albacore sank, Dr. Tamaki Ura of the University of Tokyo found parts of the submarine off Hokkaidō in waters. The wreck found was deemed the Albacore, based on its position and the shape of its hull.
“To not have any communication and not have your brother come back. I just can't describe that,” said Jim Converse 'On Eternal Patrol' research team member.
After the discovery, family members are closer than ever to learning more.
"The remarkable thing is they're finding the submarine. So that was what the catalyst and for these families,” said Mary Mihovich research team member, “it really means a lot to know where they are their family members ended up and the family member who has talked about for so many years."
“The stories have flowed down through their families, from their moms and dads every Memorial Day. They pray for them, they talk about them. They tell their children about it. And now we have Google finding the boat. And here we are,” said Converse.
Mary and Jim work to research more about the submarine and the sailors lost to connect more family members to their fallen veterans.
"This meeting and memorial service today is very meaningful to me. Because it allows me to be here with the other people who also lost relatives on albacore, and allows me to have that, I guess you'd say final sense of closure that you look for when you've lost your dad," said Bower.
To learn more about the history of the submarine and the fallen sailors you can visit here.
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