An Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, the ship was the 1st U.S. warship sunk by a Japanese Suicide Rocket Bomb April 12th, 1945.
NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) applied details offered by Tim Taylor, an ocean explorer and CEO of Tiburon Subsea, and Taylor’s “Lost 52 Project” group to confirm the identity of Mannert L. Abele.
“Mannert L. Abele is the final resting location for 84 American Sailors who created the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their nation,” mentioned NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired). “My deepest thanks and congratulations to Tim Taylor and his group for discovering this wreck website. Its discovery permits some closure to the households of these lost, and delivers us all a different chance to keep in mind and honor them.”
On April 12th, 1945, Mannert L. Abele was operating 75 miles off the northern coast of Okinawa, when enemy aircraft appeared on radar. Mannert L. Abele engaged with, and broken several enemy aircraft, till ultimately an aircraft managed to crash abreast of the following fireroom on the starboard side, penetrating the following-engine space. A minute later, the ship was hit at the waterline by a Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka (Cherry Blossom) rocket-powered human-guided bomb, and the resulting explosion triggered the ship’s bow and stern to buckle quickly.
Mannert L. Abele was the 1st of 3 radar picket ships hit and the 1st U.S. Navy vessel sunk by the human-guided kamikaze bomb.
The wreck of Mannert L. Abele is a U.S. sunken military craft protected by U.S. law and below the jurisdiction of the Division of the Navy. When non-intrusive activities, such as remote sensing documentation, on U.S. Navy sunken military craft are permitted, any activity that may possibly outcome in the disturbance of a sunken military craft ought to be coordinated with NHHC and, if proper, authorized by way of a relevant permitting system. Most importantly, the wreck represents the final resting location of Sailors that gave their life in defense of the nation and must be respected by all parties as a war grave.
For additional details on Mannert L. Abele, please stop by https://www.history.navy.mil/content material/history/nhhc/study/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/mannert-l-abele.html
NHHC, situated at the Washington Navy Yard, is accountable for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating U.S. naval history and heritage. It delivers the information foundation for the Navy by sustaining historically relevant sources and goods that reflect the Navy’s special and enduring contributions by way of our nation’s history and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering qualified study, evaluation, and interpretive solutions. NHHC comprises quite a few activities, such as the Navy Division Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, ten museums, USS Constitution repair facility, and the historic ship Nautilus.