USS Abner Read: August 15, 2018

 

In July 2108, an 11-person team from Project Recover, along with four active-duty U.S. Navy sailors set sail aboard Research Vessel Norseman II to Kiska Island in the Aleutians to survey one of the most remote and austere underwater battlefield sites of World War II. During the expedition, the team located the missing section of USS Abner Read. This video captures highlights from the discovery.

On August 18, 1943, USS Abner Read (DD 526) was on patrol off Kiska Island, Alaska. Although the Japanese had already evacuated Kiska by this time, they left behind sea mines. Abner Read struck one such mine in the dead of night, and the force of the explosion blew the stern off the ship. The stern quickly sank, taking the lives of 71 of her crew and leaving another 47 wounded.

Upon discovery, Abner Read’s stern section became part of Naval History and Heritage Command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch’s (UAB) cultural resource database. As stewards of the Navy’s 2,500 shipwrecks and 14,000 aircraft wrecks, UAB ensures Navy compliance with federal laws and regulations and develops, coordinates, reviews, and implements historic preservation and cultural resource management policy.

 

Download SD version (mp4, 130.0 MB).

Download HD version (mp4, 404.0 MB).

Video courtesy of the Kiska: Alaska's Underwater Battlefield expedition.

 


 

For More Information

Missing Section of U.S. Navy Destroyer USS Abner Read Found Near Remote Kiska Island, Alaska

USS Abner Read: Team Uncovers a Legacy of Perseverance and Valor

Education Theme: Marine Archaeology