26-05-2025
Deep-sea technology captures images of WWI submarine, 100 years after it sank near San Diego
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A team of researchers captured high-definition pictures of a sunken World War I-era U.S. Navy submarine off the coast of San Diego, over a century after it was lost at sea.
The USS F-1 was involved in a training accident eight days before Christmas Day in 1917, which killed all 19 crew members on board.
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With the help of advanced deep-sea imaging technology, researchers were able to capture high-quality images of the submarine's wreckage, discovered more than 1,300 feet under the ocean's surface just west of San Diego.
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dispatched a human-operated submersible called Alvin and another underwater vehicle called Sentry, both belonging to the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF), to capture the images. (See images below)
'While these depths were well within the dive capability for Alvin and Sentry, they were technical dives requiring specialized expertise and equipment,' said Anna Michel, co-lead of the expedition and NDSF chief scientist.
The team conducted surveys of the submarine using sonar systems on Sentry and a research vessel, Atlantis. They also surveyed the wreckage of a Navy Avenger torpedo bomber that crashed near the area where the USS F-1 sank.
'We were careful and methodical in surveying these historical sites so that we could share these stunning images, while also maintaining the reverence these sites deserve,' Michel stated.
A remembrance ceremony later took place onboard Atlantis to commemorate the lives lost during the submersible's training accident 100 years ago. A bell was rung 19 times in honor of each crew member lost at sea, according to a news release by the institution.
'As a Navy veteran, making this dive—together with another Navy veteran and a Navy historian—was a solemn privilege,' said ONR Program Officer Rob Sparrock, who was among those on board the Alvin. 'Lasting nearly eight hours, there was time to contemplate the risks that all mariners, past and present, face.'
The surveys and high-definition images of the USS F-1 were gathered with the assistance of the Office of Naval Research, the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, Naval History and Heritage Command and WHOI.
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