The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) has confirmed the wreck site of the World War II submarine USS Harder (SS-257), US Naval Institute News reports.
The wreck was discovered in the West Philippine Sea off Luzon. Using data collected and provided by Tim Taylor, CEO of Tiburon Subsea, and the Lost 52 Project, NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch confirmed in May that the wreck site is the final resting place of the Harder.
Taylor received a Distinguished Public Service Award from the Navy in 2021 for Lost 52 Project’s ongoing work to locate and memorialize the 52 submarines lost during World War II.
The Harder, nicknamed “Hit ’em Harder” for her aggressive fighting spirit, prolific destruction of Japanese shipping, and string of successful war patrols, received the Presidential Unit Citation for her first five patrols and six battle stars for World War II service. Her skipper, Commander Sam Dealey, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his outstanding contribution to the war effort during the Harder’s fifth patrol. On her sixth patrol, the submarine was struck by a depth charge and lost at sea with 79 souls on board on 24 August 1944.
Resting at a depth of more than 3,000 feet, the vessel sits upright on her keel, relatively intact except for the depth-charge damage aft of the 0conning tower.
“The Harder was lost in the course of victory. We must not forget that victory has a price, as does freedom,” said retired Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox, Director of the NHHC. “We are grateful that Lost 52 has given us the opportunity to once again honor the valor of the crew of the ‘Hit ’em Harder’ submarine that sank the most Japanese warships—in particularly audacious attacks—under her legendary skipper.”
