AH-WR-0469

USS Abner Read (stern section)

Destroyer · United States · Lost 1943 · The Aleutians & the Bering Sea

The missing stern of a WWII destroyer, torn away by a Japanese mine off Kiska, lay hidden in the Bering Sea for 75 years.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

USS Abner Read was patrolling off Kiska Island during the Aleutian Islands Campaign when she struck a Japanese mine on August 18, 1943. The explosion blew off the ship's 75-foot stern section, killing 71 sailors, while the forward hull remained afloat and was towed to safety. The stern section sank and was not located again for nearly 75 years. In 2018 a NOAA-supported Project Recover team found the wreckage in 290 feet of water off Kiska.

Vessel

Built: 1942
Registry: DD-526
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: 348 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam turbine, twin screw
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: August 18, 1943
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Off Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands
Water: Bering Sea
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 71
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 290 ft
Condition: Broken 75-foot stern section resting separately on the seafloor
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2018
Protection: War grave; site is considered a sensitive military heritage location

Position

Coordinates: 52.00° N 177.50° E
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Kiska Island, Alaska
Region: The Aleutians & the Bering Sea

NOAA/Project Recover located the missing 75-foot stern section in 290 feet of water off Kiska Island in 2018, but the expedition did not publicly release exact coordinates for the war-grave site; this position is only a general placement off Kiska Island from the Alaska Shipwrecks compilation and BOEM's note that it lies off the island's NW beach.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

Exact coordinates of the wreck site have not been published in the sources reviewed.

NOAA (media release on Project Recover discovery)
Loss date, cause, casualties, discovery details.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Kiska expedition archive
Depth, discovery narrative, campaign context.
NOAA media release, Stern of World War II U.S. destroyer discovered off remote Alaskan island
general wreck location (Kiska Island)
BOEM, Alaska's Worst All Time Shipping Losses
loss location (NW beach of Kiska Island)