Category Archives: asymmetric warfare

All I want for Christmas are my Mackerel Grenades

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“1st Marine Division, Vietnam, December 1969: NVA Chi Goms, M-16 rounds, grenades found in the hooches.”

Photo by LCpl R.L. Pearson, Marine Corps photo A372861, NARA 127-GVB-Vietnam-Marine 002035

Note the improvised shrapnel sleeves on the Chinese Type 67 grenades— minus their “potato masher” wooden handles ala the old German Stielhandgranate— via the use of empty cans of Ace of Diamonds A1 mackerel, likely crammed with rocks, dust, and screws.

The use of the fragmentation jacket sleeve dates back to the old Russian RDG-33 of Stalingrad fame, albeit with a fishier aftertaste.

Back to Alto su barco!

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The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) offloaded a little over 9 tons of Colombia’s finest, worth something like $239 million, on Wednesday in San Diego after the conclusion of her latest 89-day East Pac patrol.

The 418-foot cutter– with a Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and aircrew, members from Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 101 and 102, and contractors who flew a Scan Eagle UAV embarked– patrolled more than 19,750 nautical miles conducting law enforcement and search and rescue operations in international waters off Central and South America.

The 9-ton dope haul came from six interdictions at sea– four by Waesche and two by the smaller 210-foot USCGC Active who transferred her impounds to the larger national security cutter to bring in.

The biggest of the interdictions, on 20 November, was from a narco sub, officially a “self-propelled semi-submersible” (SPSS) that was shipping more than 5,500 pounds of blow. Of note, the interdiction of the SPSS was the first (caught) in the Eastern Pacific since 2020.

11th District released many great images from the narco sub-bust, showing just how big it is with the cutter’s 26-foot RHIB as a size reference.

Members of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL-751) law enforcement boarding team inspect a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Nov. 20, 2023. The interdiction of the SPSS yielded more than 5,500 pounds of cocaine. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Members of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL-751) law enforcement boarding team inspect a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Nov. 20, 2023. The interdiction of the SPSS yielded more than 5,500 pounds of cocaine. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Members of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL-751) law enforcement boarding team inspect a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Nov. 20, 2023. The interdiction of the SPSS yielded more than 5,500 pounds of cocaine. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Members of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL-751) law enforcement boarding team inspect a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Nov. 20, 2023. The interdiction of the SPSS yielded more than 5,500 pounds of cocaine. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Note the MH-65 on her heli deck with her two-door hangar open. The Legend-class cutter can accommodate an MH-65 or MH-60T and two vertical-launch unmanned aerial vehicles (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

If you ask me, those brainstorming about using more advanced (unmanned) narco subs to supply Marines on remote West Pac islands in the event of a China dustup make some sense.

Of note when it comes to the WMSL program, the 10th member of the class, the brand new USCGC Calhoun (WMSL 759), departed Pascagoula on 19 November for her homeport in Charleston.

Counterdrone Backpacks for Subforce

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An interesting post from Groton-based Submarine Squadron (COMSUBRON12) Twelve last week shows submariners undergoing counter-UAS training on board Submarine Base New London.

The pictures show the backpack Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) system at play with some small quadcopters.

Marketed by Northrop Grumman since at least 2016, DRAKE is a “radio-frequency negation system that delivers a non-kinetic, selective electronic attack of Group 1 drones,” with that definition applying to UASs weighing less than 20 pounds, flying lower than 1,200 feet, and flying slower than 100 knots.

You know, the kind of drones that have been extensively seen in Ukraine dropping mortar bombs and grenades down the hatch of Russian tanks in the past couple of years.

While the Navy has been shipping DRAKEs out to the surface fleet since at least 2021 it is nice that the bubbleheads are getting some drone zapping kit for those occasional (and very vulnerable) periods when they are transiting on the surface.

This augments the M249 SAWs and laser dazzlers they have been carrying to warn off small boats and combat swimmers.

APRA HARBOR, Guam (July 8, 2021) Sailors aboard the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Springfield (SSN 761) depart Naval Base Guam after completing a regularly scheduled evolution with the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). Springfield is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Victoria Kinney)

GROTON, Conn. (Dec. 20, 2019) Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) stand topside as they pull into their homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., Dec 20, 2019, following a deployment. Minnesota deployed to execute the chief of naval operation’s maritime strategy in supporting national security interests and maritime security operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steven Hoskins/Released)

Of course, the Belgian Air Force has recently opted for a more kinetic solution to knock down Group 1 drones. 

Coming in Hot (and Quiet)

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Talk about a recruiting poster.

Official caption: “A U.S. Marine assigned to Reconnaissance Company, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, rides an MMX motorcycle enroute to a raid site during the ground interoperability exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, July 25, 2023. The ground interoperability training integrates the Reconnaissance Company and supporting elements into a raid force to conduct land-based specialized limited-scale raids in preparation for more complex amphibious and maritime operations.”

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl Joseph Helms. Released 230725-M-YF186-1095

Note the Nods, M4, Salomon X Ultra Pioneers, and M18.

More on the Zero MMX Military Series e-bike, if interested.

Sure, an e-bike is not as long-term survivable (or even usable) ashore on extended missions, but if it is a short-term raid or recon event, it offers some very interesting advantages over a legacy (loud as hell) offroad dirt bike. 

Via the manufacturer:

No exhaust and exceptionally stealthy, the Zero MMX holds unique tactical advantages over traditional internal combustion alternatives. The 100% electric powertrain offers personnel the ability to rapidly move over technical terrain while making virtually no noise and emitting no smell. Perhaps the most covert form of two-wheeled transportation, the motorcycle is completely silent when stopped and can accelerate instantly from 0 rpm.

 

Last stand of the Danish Army

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In a sort of follow-up to the one-day 9 April 1940 invasion that saw an overwhelming German force steamroll the country by lunch, on 29 August 1943– some 80 years ago today– while we covered the actions of the Danish Navy already (see Copenhagen’s Finest), the Hæren made a final attempt to resist their unwanted neighbors to the south when the Germans made a move to stamp out a growing resistance and uprising through an armored fist.

The prelude included the famed Danish “cold shoulder” campaign, no less than 800 sabotage actions in the first eight months of 1943, and a series of strikes and public disorders in Esbjerg (9-11 August), Odense (18-23 August), Aalborg (23-29 August), and Århus (26-29 August), culminated with the Danish government submitting their resignation to the King on 28 August.

This led Gen. Hermann von Hanneken, the supreme commander of the German forces in Denmark, to declare martial law in an “emergency action” (Operation Safari) that led to the Danish military being disarmed and its personnel interned, at least briefly.

Denmark was largely used by the German military during the war as a training ground for its garrison, with many units stationed there long-term filled with older (age 38 was average) men unlikely to do well on more active fronts. Often units were sent to the country– unofficially dubbed the “Whipped Cream Front” due to the widespread availability of dairy products long scarce in Germany– to rest and reform before being shipped out to the Ostfront or elsewhere. 
 
At the time of Safari, the Germans had at their disposal in Denmark three infantry divisions including one Landesschützen (fortress infantry) (416. Inf.Div) and two second-line (160. Res.Div. and 166. Res.Div.), a Luftwaffe Field Division (20. Lw.-Feld Div.) made up of mobilized ground personnel pressed into an infantry role, and a second-line panzer division (233. Res.Pz.Div.) which had just arrived and included a mixed regiment of rebuilt Pz Kpfw IIIs and IVs.
 
A new infantry division (361. Inf.Div.) was being formed in the country from remnants of the battered 86th, 94th, and 137th Infantry Divisions under the command of Ritterkreuz-adorned GenLt. Siegmund Freiherr von Schleinitz, late of the old 9th Infantry.  

Unternehmen Safari: German panzers of 233. Res.Pz.Div. on the move in Copenhagen on the morning of 29 August 1943. FHM-170533

The occupied country’s pre-war left-socialist government had stripped the ostensibly 30,000-man two-division Danish Army by April 1940 to its bare minimum of just 15,000, then furloughing most of them until the force stood at just a 2,000-man cadre and about 6,600 conscripts on month two of their 11-month national service orders.

Even at this, post the German occupation, the Danish Army was paired down even further to just 2,200 men: the battalion-sized Royal Life Guards (Kongelige Livgarde) who were still allowed to protect the King, caretaker forces required for maintenance work at bases, and a small number of reserve officers and NCOs were allowed to train in the Army’s Kornet og løjtnantskole (Cornet and Lieutenant School).

Facing 60,000 panzer- and air-supported German troops, it was a no-win situation.

Still, there was resistance offered and the Danish army suffered about 60 casualties, inflicting roughly half as many on the Germans. 

An understrength company-sized unit at the Holbæk Barracks on the island of Zealand took to the street…

Soldiers from Holbæk Barracks prepare for battle, on Aug 29, 1943. Note the Madsen LMG with its distinctive 40-round magazine forward, Krag rifles, and their iconic Danish M23/38 Staalhjelm. FHM-170147

FHM-170119

…Then, with German armor coming up, saw the futility of their actions and managed to turn the resulting hour-long stalemate into an opportunity to scrap their guns.

They even paraded with their broken weapons before stacking them.

Soldiers from the garrison in Holbæk 29 August 1943 parade with broken guns before the arrival of the Germans. FHM-170129

FHM-170112

Several period color images, snapped by Flemming Find Andersen, detailing the Army Officer’s School detachment at the Jægersprislejren training grounds in Horns Herred, about 50 km from Copenhagen, going on alert on 29 August 1943 endure in the collection of the Nationalmuseet.

Drink in that period Danish battle rattle including Krag rifles and a M35 Swedish-Danish 37mm antitank gun the distance. FHM-159177

FHM-159176

At one point in the morning, they loaded up in privately owned trucks and readied to rush off to meet the Germans. Some discussion was made about a trip into the capital to link up with the Life Guards.

FHM-159178

FHM-159179

FHM-159182

In the end, the prospect of a company or so of officer cadets facing off against a German division proved futile, and they were ordered to lay down their arms.

FHM-159181

FHM-194501

They were interned at the Jægersprislejren until 31 October and then paroled, with most of the men going on to join the local resistance movements alongside the Freedom Council and donned their uniforms again during the final days of occupation, girded by both homemade STEN guns and weapons dropped via the SOE and OSS.

Perhaps the most important contribution the Danish Resistance had to the war was to smuggle acclaimed Danish physicist Niels Bohr out of the country to Sweden, where the RAF further extracted him to England and then to the U.S. where he met with Oppenheimer’s crew on the Manhattan Project. While Bohr only made minimal contributions to The Bomb, he did shed light for Opie and the gang on just what German big brain Werner Heisenberg was working on for Hitler– the two had met in Copenhagen in 1941— and importantly that he was doing it wrong– one of the most unsung kernels of strategic intelligence in WWII. 

Flash forward to May 1945

The Hæren effectively reformed in the streets and countryside on 4 May 1945, when upwards of 20,000 armed Danes took their country back.

Old helmets and uniforms were taken out of attics, and new guns added to old stocks carefully put away, as “The Day” had come. 

Meeting of Danish Resistance fighters in a farm in Rødvore just after the Freedom message aired on the BBC at 20:35 pm on the 4 of May 1945. (DINES BOGØ)

Rally of Danish Resistance fighters (Rødvore company) in the periphery of Copenhagen, days after the Freedom declaration of the 4th of May 1945. (DINES BOGØ)

Danish resistance fighters leading collaborators to the courthouse in Copenhagen, following the liberation of Denmark in May 1945. The resistance fighters are wearing black-painted Danish Army M23/40 Staalhjelms (without the front emblem) and are all armed with 9mm Swedish M37/39 Suomi pattern submachine guns.

Members of the Danish Resistance Movement (den danske modstandsbevægelse) photographed in Kalundborg in 1945. They are armed with Swedish-made 9mm Kpist M37/39 submachine guns (licenced-made variants of the Finnish Suomi KP/-31) and are wearing M23/40 Staalhjelms.

Freedom fighters in Aalborg after the liberation on 5 May 1945 FHM-238616

German soldiers surrendered to Danish Resistance FHM-218347

Danish resistance Frederiksberg Castle. Note the mix of Army, Navy, and police uniforms, helmets, and arms. FHM-320918

Battles in Odense 5 May 1945 FHM-239539

Resistance groups from Kulhuse, Kyndby, and Strandgården reoccupied the Jægersprislejren, on 6 May 1945, two days before VE-Day, and fired a salute on the parade ground as the Dannebrog was raised once again.

Today, the total strength of the Danish Army is approximately 9,000 professional troops, excluding conscripts undergoing basic training which brings total active strength to nearly 23,000, bolstered by some 60,000 reserves. Meanwhile, the Danish Home Guard counts some 40,000 members.

Training continues to be held at the Jægersprislejren.

Tow Buggies!

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Now this looks fun.

Photo: Master Corporal Richard Lessard, Garrison Petawawa; Master Corporal Matthew Tower, Canadian Forces Combat Camera, Canadian Armed Forces

The above shows an experiment by the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR), using Polaris MRZR ATVs as weapon carriers mounting TOW anti-tank missiles, Heckler & Koch GMG 40mm grenade machine guns (Designated as the C16 Close Area Suppression Weapon, or CASW), and assorted GPMGs, at Petawawa last month.

Photo: Master Corporal Richard Lessard, Garrison Petawawa; Master Corporal Matthew Tower, Canadian Forces Combat Camera, Canadian Armed Forces

Photo: Master Corporal Richard Lessard, Garrison Petawawa; Master Corporal Matthew Tower, Canadian Forces Combat Camera, Canadian Armed Forces

Photo: Master Corporal Richard Lessard, Garrison Petawawa; Master Corporal Matthew Tower, Canadian Forces Combat Camera, Canadian Armed Forces

Such vehicles could prove useful in a fast-moving RDF scenario, especially in Third World countries ala Kolwezi, a sort of modern version of the old 106mm recoilless rifle-armed M151 Mutt.

A simple concept is still well-loved in out-of-the-way parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America:

 

Now that is a good ambush position that American anti-armor teams of the 1950s and 60s will easily recognize.

And, don’t forget, the Marines swapped out their 106s for TOWs on their M151s back in the mid-1980s, so this is nothing new.

Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment, fire a jeep-mounted tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) heavy anti-tank weapon during Combined Arms exercises Five and Six. Wires used to guide the TOW missile can be seen extending from the barrel of the weapon, 5/1/1983 NARA 330-CFD-DM-ST-83-09020

Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment, fire a jeep-mounted tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) heavy anti-tank weapon during Combined Arms exercises Five and Six. Wires used to guide the TOW missile can be seen extending from the barrel of the weapon, 5/1/1983 NARA 330-CFD-DM-ST-83-09020

DF-ST-86-07566

Those chocolate chips! U.S. Marines drive an M-151 Light Utility Vehicle from a Utility Landing Craft (LCU) to shore during the multinational joint service Exercise BRIGHT STAR’85. The vehicle is armed with a BGM71 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missile launcher, 8/1/1985 NARA 330-CFD-DF-ST-86-07566

Of course, with such light-skinned vehicles, they are risky as hell, both in terms of offering no protection against any sort of incoming fire or shrapnel and in the basic fact that these will usually be driven by a 19-year-old gassed up on Rip Its and Sabaton. Plus, with all that extra top weight on vehicles already prone to rollover…yikes.

Navy picking up more high-speed target boats

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One of last week’s more interesting DOD contracts:

Silver Ships Inc.,* Theodore, Alabama, is awarded a $7,814,630 firm-fixed-price modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-23-F-2201 for the acquisition of 49 additional High-Speed Maneuvering Surface Target (HSMST) craft and accessories, 12 service manuals, 6 spare engines, and 38 sets of deployment spares. Work will be performed in Theodore, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by March 2025. The fiscal 2023 appropriation account for other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,016,330 (51%); and the fiscal 2022 appropriation account for other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,798,300 (49%), will be obligated at time of award; none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

The HSMST is a remotely operated target drone based on Metal Shark’s 26-foot AM800 fire boat.

While the DOD release mentions just 49 hulls, a presser from Silverships details that there are options for 246 HSMSTs that would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $48.25 milly.

The 27-foot custom-built AM800 target boats feature a 9-foot 8-inch beam and include an air or foam collar depending on the boat variant. Each AM800 will be outfitted with a specialized compartment designed for installing remote control systems and electronics. These target boats are fully operational and built to the Navy’s specifications and payload requirements depending on the boat’s specific mission. Vessels can be operated by a one or two-person crew for training purposes but are remotely operated during live-fire training.

Most of the 246 HSMSTs ordered will be powered by twin Suzuki 225HP outboards. The remaining boats included in this contract will be powered by Mercury Diesel Spark Ignition outboards to fulfill Navy fueling requirements. HSMSTs are designed with several uncommon design elements specific to their unique mission, for example, an above-deck fuel tank allowing operators to replace tanks quickly and easily.

The company had previously been awarded a contract in 2013 for 350 HSMSTs to be delivered by 2017. A lot of them wind up getting zapped.

180502-N-EN275-1040. ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 2, 2018) A close-in weapons system (CIWS) 20mm radar-guided Gatling gun aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) disables a remote-controlled high-speed maneuvering seaborne target (HSMST) during Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob Smith/Released)

I’d also like to point out that the HSMST is very relevant in the age of Ukrainian drone attack boats.

For reference, via the recent swarm attack of six such boats against the Russian spy ship Priazovye.

Via Russian MOD. 

Spotted in the Mississippi Sound: Cool Little Haze Gray AUSVs

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So we came across this interesting little guy while wandering around the small craft harbor in Gulfport last week.

A closer look shows lots of solar panels on the folded sail over a torpedo-shaped hull, a forward-facing camera, and a FLIR gimble over the stern.

This is it being towed into the harbor past the Gulfport Yacht Club by a 25~ foot RHIB workboat with sparse markings.

CF 9065 LE. Looks to be a repurposed old CG 26ft RB-S, note the painted-over red sides

They motored up to the recreational boat ramp by the repro Ship Island Lighthouse where a guy with a pickup truck and a wheeled recovery cart was waiting.

Up she comes.

The hull form has a centerline thruster stem/stabilizer.

It could be deployed by two-three men. While we watched they unloaded two of these, towing them each off with a Toyota Tundra.

Stumped? It is an Ocean Aero Triton, which is capable of sailing autonomously for 3 months on solar and wind power at speeds of up to 5 knots.

The TRITON is the world’s first and only Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicle (AUSV). It can sail and submerge autonomously to collect data both above and below the ocean’s surface and relay it to you from anywhere, at any time.

The TRITON was built to be versatile and to handle a range of missions across a number of industries. Our pre-packaged payloads will cover 90% of the applications in the defense, research, and off-shore energy sectors, but the system is designed to support rapid NRE efforts for more specific use cases. Optional state-of-the-art payloads include advanced modal communications for high bandwidth data transfer in remote areas as well as obstacle avoidance software/hardware to ensure autonomous reactions to unexpected mission complications.

The Specs, and some shots from Ocean Aero of the Triton submerged:

Click to big up 3452×2154

Navy orders fresh batch of 40 Foot Patrol Boats

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The U.S. Navy appears to be very much still in the small boat biz, despite the fact that it has retired the 82-foot Mark V SOC, zeroed out FY23 funding for the Mark VI patrol boat (with retired boats apparently going to Ukraine), and all but disposed of the 170-foot Cylones in lieu of the Coast Guard backfilling with the new Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters.

While the above effectively guts the expeditionary small boats for Big Blue, the fleet is still in need of security force vessels to protect bases and roadsteads and serve as range patrol. 

As part of a plan to replace the aging 117 SeaArk 34-foot Dauntless-class patrol boats and 17 SAFE Boats 25-foot Oswald-class patrol boats used for such security needs with up to 120 new PB(X), the following appeared in the Pentagon’s contracts announcements on 24 April:

ReconCraft LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded a $35,920,405 firm-fixed-price contract for 12 40-foot patrol boats. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $36,141,587. Work will be performed in Clackamas, Oregon, and is expected to be completed by September 2025. Fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $28,977,570 (81%); and fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,942,835 (19%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C § 637(a)) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 19.8. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-2201).

Via Reconcraft:

This is in addition to as many as 119 planned Force Protection-Medium (FP-M) patrol boats from Lake Assault Boats which have been in low-rate production since 2020. The 33-foot-long aluminum V-hull FP-M will be used for “harbor and waterway patrols, interrogation of other waterborne assets, and escorting large vessels in and out of ports in various weather and water conditions.”

Simon Lake’s Defender found?

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Simon Lake, the famed mechanical engineer and naval architect, who held hundreds of patents relating to submarine vessels, engines, and other concepts, built his first operational submersible in 1894 at age 28.

Simon Lake and his “Argonaut” submarine in dry dock. Note that it had wheels and was intended to crawl the ocean floor. Via Popular Science 1901

Later, his more mature designs were built for service to the Tsar of Russia, the Kaisers of both Austria and Germany as well as Uncle Sam.

Simon Lake’s O-12 (SS-73) retained his trademark stern and amidships planes (shown folded down in the outboard view). Note the separate flooding ports in the watertight superstructure. Drawing by Jim Christley, text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press. Via Navsource

One of his more peculiar designs was the Newport-built commercial submarine Simon Lake XV, which was later renamed Defender.

Defender at Bridgeport Connecticut. Photo courtesy Submarine Force Museum & Library

Just 92 feet overall, she displaced but 200 tons. Fitted with three torpedo tubes, Lake modified the small boat for diver operations while submerged, a concept he thought would be useful for both mine clearance and salvage work.

The experimental submarine was built in 1902 by Simon Lake, and refitted as a salvage craft, on the ways before launching at Bridgeport, Connecticut, on 1 January 1929. It was taken to New London, Connecticut, to undergo tests of safety and rescue devices with the salvaged submarine S-4. The new escape hatch, slightly open, can be seen in the bow, directly beneath the eye bolt. Description: Courtesy of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, San Francisco, California, 1969. Catalog #: NH 69034

Although the inventor tried several times to interest the navy and others with public experiments with Defender, and a failed attempt to salvage gold from the lost British frigate HMS Hussar— which had rested at the bottom of New York City’s East River since the Revolutionary War– with the boat, he never managed to sell it or the design.

Amelia Earhart dressed for deep sea diving off the submarine Defender, off Block Island, Rhode Island, July 1929

Illustration of Defender, with a possible conversion to a Sightseeing Submarine

After Lake passed in 1945, Defender was hauled out to sea and scuttled by the Army Corps of Engineers in Long Island Sound.

Now, a group of divers led by Richard Simon of Shoreline Diving are pretty confident they have found the old boat.

The wreckage was first imaged as part of a bathymetric survey conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a sonar survey of the Long Island Sound conducted by Eastern Search and Survey. Both surveys marked the wreckage as “unidentified.” Simon, who had been researching Defender for years, noticed that the unidentified wreckage was consistent with that of submarine and of Defender’s dimensions. The team conducted further research before diving the target aboard Simon’s vessel R/V Integrity. The dive, research, and surface support team consisted of: Richard Simon, Bob Foster, Jeff Goodreau, Wayne Gordon, Austin Leese, Joe Mazraani, Kurt Mintell, Harold Moyers, Kevin Ridarelli, Jennifer Sellitti, and Eric Simon.
 
Members of the team attempted to dive the wreck on April 14, 2023, but poor tidal conditions prevented them from diving. The team revisited the site two days later, on April 16, 2023. Simon oversaw deck operations while divers Steve Abbate and Joe Mazraani descended to the wreckage. The pair found an intact submarine. The length, the size, and shape of protrusions on the submarine’s distinct keel, and the shape and location of diving planes characteristic of Lake-built vessels helped identify Defender.
 
Additionally, the proximity of the wreckage to the mud flats where Defender was beached prior to being scuttled further confirmed the identification.
 
“It is such a thrill to finally put our hands on this important piece of maritime history,” said Abbate. Abbate, who made the dive the day before his sixtieth birthday, added, “It’s also an incredible birthday present!”

 

Forward hatch on Defender/Diver Steve Abbate inspects one of Defender’s propellers | Photos courtesy Joe Mazraani 

More here.

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