The U.S.S. Albacore, a submarine used by the U.S. Navy during World War II, sank near Japan almost eight decades ago. Yesterday, the Navy confirmed the discovery of the submarine's wreckage off the coast of Japan.
The Albacore sank 13 Japanese ships during WWII, ranking her as one of the most successful submarines against enemy combatants.
However, the vessel struck a mine and sunk on Nov. 7, 1944, killing all 85 U.S. sailors aboard, including one from Delaware, Burton Paul Johnson.
One volunteer at the Fort Miles Museum in Cape Henlopen State Park told us more about Mr. Johnson.
"He attended Smyrna High School and he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. It was pretty common in 1942 to do that because they knew they were going to be drafted," said Stephen Katona. "After he enlisted, he volunteered for the submarine service which was voluntary because of the dangers."
Johnson left Hawaii in October of 1944, on the Albacore, for its eleventh and final patrol.
"He wrote his mother a letter from Pearl Harbor letting her know that he was going out on patrol, and that was the last that she had ever heard from him," added Katona.
Cliff Geisler, with the Fort Miles Historical Association, said the museum provides more than just military artifacts.
"Even though it's been 80 years since the war ended, people walk in here all the time with stories of relatives who didn't come home," he said. "They don't know what happened to them, and occasionally we are able to point people in the right direction to solve that mystery."
The news has brought satisfaction to both Geisler and Katona.
"I have been helping the Navy with the family contacts, the next of kin if you will, and when the wreck is found, it provides a lot of closure and satisfaction to those family members," said Katona. "Their family member was lost in action, and they know approximately, maybe, where they were lost, but not exactly, and they weren't able to actually see their final resting place."
Now, the mystery surrounding the fate of the U.S.S Albacore and Smyrna's Burton Paul Johnson has finally been solved.
The Naval History and Heritage Command notes that the wreck, off the coast of Japan, represents the final resting place of sailors who gave their life in defense of the nation and should be respected as a war grave.
