USS Herring submarine wreck identified 82 years after disappearing in World War II

The U.S. Navy identified a wreck near Matsuwa Island in the Kurile Islands as USS Herring, ending an 82-year mystery.

Researchers used expedition data from 2017 and 2022, plus U.S., Japanese, and Russian analysis, to confirm the submarine’s identity.

USS Herring was lost on June 1, 1944 during its final patrol; the damage matches reports of combat with Japanese forces.

The finding confirms the fate of all 83 crew members and designates the wreck as a protected U.S. military war grave.