08 March 2023 , 16:03
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A relative of a submarine crew missing since World War 2 has shared her heartbreak as wreckage finally found.
The submarine which was resting 237m underwater on a Japanese Island has given families and relatives closure of those fallen, after nearly 80 years.
The findings brought closure to relatives like Lisa Hume Lutman, whose great uncle Allen Hudgins was lost on the Albacore aged just 19.
She said: “My heart kind of jumped and I even got kind of teary, because in my wildest dreams I couldn’t imagine it ever being found.
“I’d always heard that they thought it hit an explosive, but it was never confirmed.
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“Me, my brother, and my daughter have all felt a sense of interest – and now a sense of closure.”
USS Albacore was known for sinking at least 10 enemy ships (Credit: Pen News)Lisa, 60, added: “When I look at his photo, I think about what his life could’ve been had he not died at 19 years old.
“And I think about how brave he was at such a young age to be fighting in a war.
“I knew what happened to him as I grew up, and often thought about him and what he would have been like if I’d ever gotten to meet him.”
Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) confirmed the Allen Hudgins find using images provided by Tamaki Ura, from the University of Tokyo.
New footage of the Albacore wreck reveals her final resting place, at a depth of 237m off the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
USS Albacore, the submarine which served in the US Navy in the Pacific theatre (Credit: Tamaki Ura/Pen News)The submarine known as USS Albacore, served in the US Navy in the Pacific theatre, was known for sinking at least 10 enemy ships. Among the enemy ships were destroyers and freighters.
The allied submarine which was last month, has been ranked as one of the most successful submarines against enemy combatants during the whole conflict, according to the US Navy.
On October 28, 1944, after a refuelling stop at Midway, the highly ranked submarine was never heard from again, with an underwater mine blamed for her loss.
The families of the fallen have closure after nearly 80 years (Credit: Lisa Hume Lutman/Pen News)Video obtained by Remotely Operated Vehicle captures parts of the wreck including a torpedo tube, the tower, a hatch, the periscope, and an antenna.
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Dr Ura said: “Based on the SJ Radar and some features of the bridge, it is a Gato-class sub.
“It is clear that there were other Gato-class around the area, and there is no other wreck around what we found, so we can say it is Albacore.
Parts of the submarine that were found 237m deep on a Japanese Island (Credit: Tamaki Ura/Pen News)“The report of the Japanese military shows the approximate location of the explosion of a sub, which hit mines on November 7, 1944.”
The NHHC noted several pieces of evidence that the wreck was the Albacore.
Director Samuel Cox said: “As the final resting place for sailors who gave their life in defence of our nation, we sincerely thank and congratulate Dr Ura and his team for their efforts locating the wreck of Albacore.”