The Wahoo Project


 
 
 
The Wahoo Project's mission is to locate and identify America's most famous World War II submarine, the USS Wahoo (SS 238). The objective is a non-intrusive search where she is believed to rest with her gallant crew of eighty officers and men in Soya (La Perouse) Strait between Hokkaido, Japan and Sakhalin, Russia. 

 
The USS Wahoo SS 238

The USS Wahoo was one of the most significant American submarines of the Second World War. The overall success of the American submarine service was instrumental in the victory and the USS Wahoo was a key factor in this. During her career of seven patrols from August 1942 to October 1943, the USS Wahoo and her crew revolutionised American Submarine doctrine, by transforming the service from being timid and defensive, to being aggressive and offensive. At the time of her sinking, the USS Wahoo was the leading American submarine and even though the war continued for almost two years after her loss, she remains one of the top scoring. 

 
Wahoo Commander Dudley "Mush" Morton

 

 The Mackinnon Organization and The National Underwater and Marine Agency (Australian Project Office), Independent, Non-Profit Research Organisations, have combined efforts to conduct the search project with the aim of locating the final resting place of the USS WAHOO and possibly the USSR submarine L-19. This project will culiminate more than 55 years of research in which many people and organisations have volunteered their time, expertise, or provided resources including:
  • Retired officers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Forces and Imperial Japanese Navy.
  • Retired and active officers of the United States Navy.
  • Families of the officers and crew of the USS Wahoo.
  • Residents of the City of Wakkanai, Hokkaido.

Founded in 1979 by author Clive Cussler,  the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) is a 501C3 nonprofit, volunteer foundation dedicated to preserving our maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts.

NUMA Japan was established in 2001 and is an affiliate of NUMA Australia. Our purpose in Japan is to facilitate research into Japan based archives for NUMA missions and to assist with NUMA missions. NUMA Japan works in conjunction with the MacKinnon Organization which has been conducting research into the USS Wahoo (SS-238) since 1995. We operate with the assistance from primarily Japanese staff who volunteer their time and resources to make  information available from inquiries from around the world.