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USS Escolar (SS-294): Has She Been Located?
| Posted on July 19, 2014 at 11:55 PM |
comments (511)
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 "And I Think It's Gonna Be a Long, Long Time..." ...but who knew it would be this long? I advise on the homepage of my website to "check the dates", and question how committed others are to their sites if they don't regularly update them. Much to my embarrassment, I'm now just as guilty. Projects and life have kept me away from the keyboard, but I never really left the paranormal. I'm back and, yes, it has been a long time. Too long. USS Escolar (SS-294): Everything You've Read Is Wrong No edition of The Booo! Blog has generated, and continues to generate, the volume of mail and inquiries as the January 2012 edition. While the others are widely read, my story of USS Escolar, a submarine lost in 1944, seems to have connected on a different level. The mystery surrounding her disappearance, the tragic loss of all hands, and a spectral encore apparently made for a potent mix, but not one by design. The blog tells of what was known about USS Escolar and her crew at the time of her disappearance, and what happened decades later as a result. As I've stated elsewhere on these pages, and with apologies to Mark Twain: Sometimes truth is spookier than fiction. The unknown fate of USS Escolar has always followed me, as my uncle, Joseph James Bender, Jr., Ph1M, United States Navy, was a member of her crew. Whenever life gets hectic and Escolar, by necessity, drifts to the back of my mind, something always jolts it back, front and center. It happened tonight: I was watching an episode of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen (a rare episode where he actually did very little screaming...the guy's my hero) and what did one of the chefs prepare? Escolar. I knew that Escolar is a fish, but have you ever heard of anyone having it for dinner? Ever seen it on a menu? My intention was to write this blog several days ago, but I was pulled in another, unrelated direction. Just as the countless times in the past, synchronicity stepped in, hit me over the head, and the crew of USS Escolar found a way to politely say, "Excuse us, we don't mean to be a bother, but if you wouldn't mind pulling your ass away from the television, we're still waiting to be found". Transcending the passage of time that we, on this side, perceive as seventy years, these interdimensional ship to shore reminders have recently been on the upswing. Why? Because, thanks to an odd twist of fate sparking an international effort involving a team of dedicated individuals, we now believe we know, not only what happened to USS Escolar, but where she likely rests. With the recent surfacing of new documents, primarily from sources in Japan, it has become apparent that the official U.S. Navy account of what was believed to have happened to USS Escolar in October 1944 was, in fact, not the reality. She did not hit a mine, disintegrating in relative swiftness. To the contrary, Commander W.J. Millican and the crewmen of USS Escolar engaged in an extended and harrowing game of cat and mouse in a desperate attempt to save their lives. What follows, published for the first time, is a copy of the USS Escolar (SS-294) Factual Summary. It is important to understand that this is a 'living' document, and contains information believed to be currently accurate. Therefore, as new information is uncovered, it is possible that this document may be subject to emendation. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ USS Escolar (SS-294) Factual Summary Compiled/Written:
Anthony Duda Email: [email protected] Telephone:
857-247-7503 Date:
July 2, 2014 FACT The last known radio
transmission received from USS Escolar
(SS-294) was on Tuesday, October 17, 1944. Escolar
reported that she was 33°-44'N, 127°-33'E, and was heading for 33°-44'N,
129°-06'E. These coordinates place the submarine in the Tsushima Strait. The
'wolf pack', known as "Millican's Marauders" and consisting of USS Escolar (SS-294), USS Croaker (SS-246) and USS Perch (SS-313) entered the strait on
Sunday, October 15, 1944. On Tuesday, October 17 at 23:00, Escolar Commander W.J. Millican ordered Croaker and Perch south of
Sasebo, Japan. They departed, separating from Escolar. DISCREPANCY The data is undisputed. SOURCE Entry in the USS Perch (SS-313)
log, dated Tuesday, October 17, 1944. FACT On Thursday, October 19,
1944, Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer CD-38 detected an
unknown submarine and engaged in an anti-submarine attack while escorting
IJN convoy MI-23 in the Tsushima Strait, dropping over 30 depth charges. Bubbles and an oil slick immediately appeared and gear believed to
be from the submarine surfaced at the site. The coordinates of the attack:
33°-32'N, 128°-43'E. USS Escolar (SS-294) would
have very likely been at those general coordinates at that time. If she did,
indeed, execute her route according to her last radio transmission, the
documented attack coordinates would have been along her route. DISCREPANCY It must be noted that
the Japan Geodetic System used the Bessel Ellipsoid, not WGS84 Ellipsoid.
Therefore, the coordinates documented in 1944 may shift as much as 60m to the
north with conversion to WGS 84 Ellipsoid. CORROBORATION Victor Lavon Lee, Jr.
(deceased), crew member of USS Croaker
(SS-246) while on patrol with USS Escolar
(SS-294) and USS Perch (SS-313). He
contacted Anthony Duda on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 in response to his Wednesday,
January 4, 2012 blog about USS Escolar
(SS-294). He stated that he witnessed sound of explosions in distance and the
direction of USS Escolar (SS-294) at
approximately 15:00 on Thursday, October 19, 1944. SOURCE *Combat Action Report
of CD-38, dated Thursday, October 19, 1944. Japan
Center for Asian Historical Records National Archives of Japan. Website: http://www.jacar.go.jp *Wartime diary of IJN PB-102. Japan
Center for Asian Historical Records National Archives of Japan. Website: http://www.jacar.go.jp *Imperial Japanese Navy
personnel memorandum. Library of Peace Memorial Display Museum. *USS Perch (SS-313) log,
dated Tuesday, October 17, 1944 **Richard F. Graham,
MosaicGeo USA, LLC, Seattle, Washington FACT No other United States
Navy submarine or submarine from another nation was reported as attacked or
sunk on Thursday, October 19, 1944 in the area where USS Escolar (SS-294)
would have likely been at the time of the IJN CD-38 attack*. DISCREPANCY The data is undisputed. SOURCE *IJN 1
Escort Flotilla wartime diary (CD-38
and PB-102 were part of IJN 1
Escort Flotilla), October 1944. *Exhaustive Internet
investigation and research. FACT There is an official
Japan Coast Guard 'snag report' map that notates a wreck in the approximate documented location where IJN destroyer CD-38 located and attacked
the unknown submarine on Thursday, October 19, 1944. DISCREPANCY The data is undisputed. SOURCE Japan Coast Guard. FACT According to bathymetric
charts, the documented coordinates (regardless of the possible Bessel
Ellipsoid/WGS84 Ellipsoid discrepancy) in the Tsushima Strait place the wreck
at a relatively shallow depth of 140m (460 ft). DISCREPANCY The data is undisputed. SOURCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Note According to Yutaka
Iwasaki, a researcher in Japan, the documented coordinates where IJN CD-38 attacked
the unknown submarine (33°-32'N, 128°-43'E) would place the location of the wreck in or very
near an area of the Tsushima Strait known as "Area Golf", a fire
training area for United States military forces in Japan. The Japan Coast Guard
warns not to enter the area without full knowledge of the possible risk. Summary While there is some
question as to the exact location of USS Escolar (SS-294),
this slight discrepancy is likely due to the Bessel Ellipsoid utilized by the
Japanese at the time relative to the WGS84 Ellipsoid used today. In any event,
the Japan Coast Guard does know where the wreck is located, as they
have noted it on their 'snag report' map of the area. In addition, we have
fairly precise coordinates, corroborated by multiple source material. The facts
demonstrate that there is every reason to believe the "unknown
submarine" attacked in the Tsushima Strait on Thursday, October 19, 1944
was, indeed, USS Escolar, with no existing evidence to suggest
otherwise. The 82 brave men aboard
USS Escolar want to be found. They want finality and closure for their family members and
loved ones and, only then, will they finally rest. But perhaps, most of all, they want their story
to be told. They want us to know the truth. We owe them that. Research and Assistance USA: Bruce Abele Darrell Ames Anthony Duda Charles R. Hinman David Johnston Keith Kibbe Richie Kohler Ronald Norford Vickie Rodgers Japan: Kiyotaka Asano Yutaka Iwasaki Brad Pearson Israel: Michael Mohl _________________________________________________________________________________________________ USS Escolar (SS-294): The New England Connection Runs Deep Nine crewmen aboard USS Escolar (SS-294) hailed from New England* (Click on image to enlarge)
*Photographs and information courtesy of Charles R. Hinman/On Eternal Patrol: Dedicated to all men lost while serving in the U.S. Submarine Force. For more information, please visit the website: http://www.oneternalpatrol.com We Need Your Help! Regardless of what part of the United States they were from, eighty-two men tragically lost their lives aboard USS Escolar. There is a need to get 'eyes in the water' utilizing side-scan sonar and other equipment at the documented coordinates of the attack on October 19, 1944, the location of the wreck documented on the Japan Coast Guard snag map, as well as the immediate, surrounding area, as some drift may have occurred due to the passage of time and effect of currents. Therefore, we respectfully urge the U.S. Government, Japanese Government, and private individuals and concerns with the capability to assist to do so. Sadly, while the story of USS Escolar is dramatic, it is certainly not unique. We now believe we know what happened to USS Escolar and, yes, we now believe we know where she is, resting at a relatively shallow depth of 140m (460 ft). This would not be a salvage mission, but one of identification, documentation, and closure. It matters not if seven days or seventy years have passed, they are waiting and want to be found. And yes, we do owe them that. I would like to thank Dr. Robert Ballard of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for his attention and consideration in the search for USS Escolar (SS-294). Legal Disclaimer: All information, opinion and theories on this website and blog are published in good faith and for general information purposes only. I do not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information on my website and blog is strictly at your own risk, and I will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with its use. All opinion and theories are strictly my own, and should not be construed as fact. |
USS Escolar (SS-294)
| Posted on January 4, 2012 at 4:07 PM |
comments (445)
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 I would like to thank Mrs. Anne Harris and Mr. Ronald Norford. Without them, this blog would not have been possible. Legal Disclaimer: All information, opinion and theories on this website and blog are published in good faith and for general information purposes only. I do not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information on my website and blog is strictly at your own risk, and I will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with its use. All opinion and theories are strictly my own, and should not be construed as fact. |