A team of four passionate technical divers succeeded in locating the wreck, which is probably that of theUSS Grenadier (SS-210), a United States Navy submarine that was scuttled over 75 years ago while being attacked and surrounded by Japanese planes and ships on April 21, 1943. This submarine, resting 80 meters deep, is one of the 52 US Navy submarines lost during World War II.The discovery took place in October 2019, about 80 nautical miles south of Phuket, Thailand. Lance Horowitz is part of the team of four passionate technical divers who located the wreck:  » It is every technical diver’s dream to discover a wreck full of history. We train a lot for these difficult dives because we love exploring and finding what is not easily accessible. This is the first time we have made such a discovery, but we are also looking for other wrecks « , he said.

The team is made up of Jean Luc Rivoire, 50, Ben Reymenants, 47, Lance Horowitz, 36, and Benoit Laborie, 42. Originally from France, Belgium, and New Zealand, they are today based in Singapore and Phuket. They have been diving for many years worldwide in deep-water sites and challenging environments such as the caves of Florida or Southeast Asia.

The divers are waiting for their discovery to be validated by the United States Naval History and Heritage Command, but believe it to be a Tambor-class submarine, the first completely operational class of submarines in the US fleet. They used their own boat, homeported in Singapore, for this expedition, during which they located the wreck with a side-scan sonar, a device that allows them to capture images of the seabed from their vessel.

 » Ben gathered a set of geographic coordinates from various sources, mainly local fishermen who often lose their nets on these sites, which can be natural rocks or artificial reefs such as wrecks. Our boat is equipped for such research, and for days we patiently scanned all the coordinates until we saw a special shape on the sonar screen! We couldn’t dive on the site immediately due to bad weather conditions and strong currents. It requires good planning. Due to low visibility, there is the risk of getting tangled in the wreck debris or fishing nets, or not finding the return line to the surface boat, and thus having to drift in the current while still having to do long decompression stops. After six dives on the wreck over six months, we are now 95% convinced that it is the USS Grenadier « , Lance stated.

The divers also researched in the archives of twelve countries involved in World War II with submarines, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands, all the potential submarines declared lost and never found in the Strait of Malacca. This led them to three possible lost submarines. The description and dimensions seem to perfectly match the USS Grenadier.

To validate their discovery, they measured various parts of the lost submarine, such as the command turret, hatches, and capstans. These measurements are identical to the technical plans obtained from the United States National Archives and Records Administration.

The expedition required taking into account the tides, strong underwater currents, and the use of special equipment such as closed-circuit rebreathers (CCR), underwater scooters, and helium and oxygen-based gas mixes for multi-hour dives with decompression.

The wreck rests upright on a sandy bottom, at 83 meters deep, partially covered with fishing nets.  » We couldn’t find a plaque with the ship’s name, as the submarine’s outer hull has been eroded over time and probably ripped off by nets and anchors from fishing boats, revealing the inner hull, designed to withstand pressure « , said Ben Reymenants.

The divers found the hatches completely open, indicating that the ship was deliberately sunk, as evidenced by survivors’ historical accounts. They also identified an electrical component, a rheostat. It bears an inscription, the name of a Chicago-based company that has been manufacturing electrical parts for over 90 years, used in Navy ships.

The divers have not disclosed the precise location of the wreck due to the numerous scrap metal scavengings that occur on historic wrecks in the region. Additionally, they are cooperating with the relevant government agencies and following their guidelines concerning war heritage sites.

 » It’s thrilling when you reach the ocean floor, in the middle of nowhere, and begin to discern the massive silhouette. You then think of the history linked to it and the chance to be the first to approach the submarine since it sank over 75 years ago. It’s a very strong sensation « , said Jean-Luc Rivoire.

The team plans further expeditions on the wreck.  » There is still much to explore, like the guns, torpedo tubes, and periscopes, we hope to identify it definitively, bring a conclusion, and honor the memory of the war heroes who served on this ship « , added Ben.

For more information on the team’s dives, visit their Facebook page.