BALABAC STRAIT, Philippines — The dive team of Mike and Warren Fletcher has discovered another wreck that many thought was lost to history. This one -- an American submarine that served in the Second World War -- was located in 100 metres of water in the Balabac Strait of the Philippines. The Flier was a Gato-class submarine. On Aug. 13, 1944, it struck a mine and quickly sank. Fourteen of 86 crew members escaped, but only eight survived the long swim to shore. The U.S. Navy confirmed the discovery in a press release last week. "We hope this announcement will provide some closure to the families of the 78 crewmen lost when Flier struck a mine in 1944," U.S. Rear Admiral Douglas McAneny said in a statement. Mike Fletcher of Port Ryerse and son Warren located the sub on the basis of information provided by the late Al Jacobson, the last survivor of the Flier disaster. Following the war, Jacobson made it his mission to pinpoint the final resting place of his shipmates. Footage shot by the Fletchers convinced American officials that the vessel at issue was indeed the Flier. No other submarine is known to have sunk in the area, and the gun mount and radar antenna identified in the video match historical photos of the Flier. The Flier weighed 1,520 tons. It was built in 1943 at a shipyard in Groton, Conn. Flier was stationed at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. She is credited with sinking several Japanese transport ships. There were 288 submarines in the American fleet during the Second World War. A total of 52 were lost at sea. More than 3,500 sailors went down with them. by Monte Sonnenberg | 
