The seabed keep much more than metal wrecks. They also house history fragments that collective memory has sometimes let sow. In the silent depths of the Pacific, some traces of the past are still waiting to be revealed. This is the case of the wreckage of the USS F-1 submarine, rediscovered and revealed in broad daylight thanks to an exceptional scientific mission.
At the time, the American army was just beginning to integrate the submarines into its naval operations. The accident goes relatively unnoticed in the tumult of the World War. But for the families of sailors, this sinking leaves a gaping wound, especially since the wreck is more than 400 meters deep, inaccessible to the diving means of the time. It will be necessary to wait more than half a century that a remote-controlled vehicle can be seen by chance in 1972, without any imaging mission resulting in it.
The wreck of the USS F-1 submarine finally delivers its secrets
In March 2025, a research campaign led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution marked a turning point. Thanks to a fleet of specialized vehicles, scientists capture the first high resolution images of the USS F-1. The submersible inhabited Alvin, accompanied by the autonomous Drone Sentry, plunges for several days until the carcass of the building. The images reveal a remarkably preserved ship despite a century spent at the bottom of the ocean.
The oceanographer photographer Zoë Daheron, involved in the mission, assembles clichés into a 3D model of unprecedented precision. We clearly distinguish the command turret, the emergency hatches, and even the impacts left by the fatal collision. This data will not only feed the military archives, but also to better understand the technical limits of underwater construction at the dawn of the 20th century. The Smithsonian Magazine reports that the images have been obtained without contact with the structure, respecting its status as military burial.
In parallel, the team led by Bruce Strickrott was also able to inspect the immediate vicinity, where another vestige lined: an Avenger torpedoler of the Second World War, crushed in 1950. Again, the dives allow clear identification, confirming that the crew of the time had survived the accident, as indicated in Live Science.
Preserve naval memory thanks to underwater technology
Beyond technological prowess, this expedition takes on a deeply human dimension. For Brad Krueger, underwater archaeologist at the Naval History and Heritage Command, it was his first direct exploration of a historic wreck. Depending on his words, this visit was as moving as they are instructive. No artifact was taken, but the names of the 19 missing sailors were read aloud during a ceremony organized on board the Atlantis ship. A bell has resonated 19 times, in the silence of the ocean.
This approach is part of an extended vision of underwater research, which combines training, innovation and memory duty. The National Foundation for Science, involved in the financing of the mission, recalls that these projects also serve to form a new generation of scientists in the manipulation of advanced equipment, as confirmed by a report published by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Today, the collected data fueling a digital archive accessible to research institutions and historians. Thanks to this convergence between memory, science and engineering, the USS F-1 comes out of oblivion. It will never rise to the surface, but its history is now visible in three dimensions.
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