Discovery of USS Harder Submarine
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Eighty years after being sunk in combat during World War II, the final resting place of one of the Navy’s most distinguished submarines and her crew has been located.
The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) last month confirmed the wreck site of the USS Harder (SS 257) at a depth of more than 3,000 feet in the South China Sea off Luzon of the Philippines. Using data collected and provided by Tim Taylor, CEO of Tiburon Subsea and the Lost 52 Project, NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch identified the sunken vessel as the USS Harder.
Harder is one of 52 U.S. submarines and 3,500 submariners lost in combat during World War II and are now on “Eternal Patrol.” She was commissioned on Dec. 2, 1942, with Cmdr. Samuel D. Dealey in command; and lost at sea with 79 souls aboard on Aug. 24, 1944.
Dubbed “Hit ‘Em Harder,” the submarine had wreaked havoc among Japanese shipping and was credited with sinking 20.5 enemy ships and damaging seven more. Commanded by Medal of Honor recipient Samuel D. Dealey, her record of aggressive daring exploits became almost legendary. Harder received six battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation for World War II service, with all six of her patrols designated successful.
Harder’s fifth war patrol in June 1944 was the submarine’s most successful. Assigned the area around the Japanese fleet anchorage at Tawi-Tawi, an island province in the Philippines, Harder depleted the critical supply of Japanese destroyers by sinking three of them and heavily damaging or destroying two others in a four-day span. The attacks disrupted the Japanese battle plans and delayed their carrier force into the Philippine Sea, which contributed to the Japanese being defeated in the ensuing battle.
During the Harder’s sixth and final war patrol, Harder had sunk two frigates off Luzon when she and another submarine, USS Hake, were attacked by a minesweeper during the early morning of August 24, 1944. Hake dived to escape the attack, but the vigorous Japanese depth charge attack sunk Harder with all hands. The Japanese ship’s crew after the attack reported “oil, wood chips, and cork floated in the vicinity.”
When the Harder failed to return to base, U.S. military officials eventually declared her lost on January 2, 1945. The entire Navy mourned the loss of the Harder crew, with Cmdr. Dealey posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor based on Harder’s fifth patrol. Dealey would be forever known in Navy lore as “a submariner’s submariner.”
Descendants of the USS Harder crew were notified about the recent discovery of the vessel. The confirmed wreck of USS Harder (SS 257) will be designated as a war grave and the final resting place of sailors that gave their life in defense of the nation.
“Harder was lost in the course of victory. We must not forget that victory has a price, as does freedom,” said NHHC Director and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox in a news release. “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, Cmdr. Sam Dealey.”
For more information on USS Harder (SS 257), visit https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-harder-257-loss.html.
U.S. Navy Commander Samuel Dealey, who commanded the Harder submarine, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and actions during World War II. He is included as part of the submarine museum’s Medal of Honor gallery.
