Team maps sunken sub; ready to dive on it

 

Researchers who discovered a sunken Navy submarine in which 42 sailors drowned off Key West more than 60 years ago are beginning the next phase of their expedition: sending small, modern, manned submarines down 600 feet to the vessel to get a close-up view of the underwater grave.

The USS R-12 sank in less than 15 seconds on June 12, 1943, while conducting torpedo training about 10 miles off Key West, where it has laid undisturbed ever since. Key West researcher and explorer Tim Taylor and the crew of his RV Tiburon announced their discovery of it last month.

The exploration continues to be a sensitive process for Taylor, as the Navy considers the site to be a war grave and has stated it is protected under the Sunken Military Craft Act. Taylor said he has been working closely with the Navy to respect the site.

"We have collected hundreds of photos, which we assembled into mosaics," that Taylor is sharing with the Navy, he said. "We now have a complete picture of the R-12 as she rests today. Our archeologist is currently poring over the data and working with our researchers."

Now that they have a clearer picture of how the R-12 is resting on the seafloor, they can send manned submarine teams 600 feet down to collect more data for the Navy, Taylor said. That process is set to begin in the coming days, he said.

"We typically work in 5,000 feet of water with our equipment," Taylor said. "The challenges of this depth, 600 feet, are surprisingly routine for our team. That being said, sending down manned submersibles will be interesting. Any time humans go to these depths, it is not treated as routine."

The team also has begun reaching out to family members of the servicemen who perished, but they have not yet made public the list of names, said team spokeswoman Christine Dennison.

"This is ongoing and evolving as we continue to research and weed out fact from fiction," Dennison said. "In proceeding with reaching out to relatives, I am very sensitive to their feelings and emotions regarding the recent find. I understand some may have conflict with reliving the tragedy and loss all over again."

The team has not released the exact location of the sub as a precaution that the grave site not be disturbed, Dennison said.

"It is a bit somber and humbling to be part of this chapter in history," Taylor said. " 'Fulfilling' is the wrong term. Accomplishing what we set out to do is always gratifying. We now feel it is our duty to tell the R-12 story to the world. The men entombed just a few miles off the reefs of Key West should never be forgotten."

The 186-foot R-12 was designed by John Holland, considered by many to be the father of U.S. submarine service, and was christened and commissioned in 1919. The diesel sub had a welded steel hull and could travel almost 14 knots on the surface. It served in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. 

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