Emily Chan
Eight decades after its last patrol, the wreck of the USS Harder has been found in the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy submarine sank in 1944 while fighting a Japanese warship near the Philippines, taking its crew of 79 down with it.
According to the Navy’s History and Heritage Command, the USS Harder was discovered sitting on its keel at the bottom of the South China Sea.
It was located off the northern Philippine island of Luzon under approximately 3,000 feet of water. The submarine was intact except for damage behind its conning tower.
On August 24, 1944, the Harder, along with its 79 crew members, was lost in battle after it was heavily damaged by depth charges from a Japanese destroyer. The Harder had been on its sixth patrol of the war as the U.S. fought to unseat Japanese occupation in the Philippines.
It was one of the most famous American submarines of World War II. Records from the U.S. Navy show that it sank a total of five Japanese destroyers and a few other enemy ships.
Harder was also nicknamed the “Hit ’em Harder” and was captained by Samuel Dealey, who was awarded the Medal of Honor after his death.
The Lost 52 Project, an effort led by founder Tim Taylor to find the 52 U.S. submarines lost in World War II, was responsible for making the discovery. Previously, the group had located eight vessels, so the Harder was their ninth find.
Taylor is also the CEO of Tiburon Subsea, a company that uses autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and other technology to study underwater sites. The wrecks are not just historical—they are the final resting places of sailors who gave their lives to serve their nation.
“We have a protocol that, when we locate a submarine, we memorialize the crew,” said Taylor. “We observe a minute of silence, ring the bell for every member of the crew, and have a prayer service led by a deacon who is part of our expedition team.”
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