Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Undersea explorers said they have found a long-lost U.S. submarine off the coast of Japan that sank during World War II.
The USS Grayback was carrying 80 U.S. sailors when it sank in the waters south of Okinawa in February 1944. The ship is credited with sinking 14 enemy ships before it was torpedoed.
Private explorers Tim Taylor and Christine Dennison found the Grayback in June and made the announcement Monday, on Veterans Day. The search ended when they spotted an anomaly on the ocean floor five months ago and high-definition cameras subsequently confirmed the vessel's identity when they captured a gold plaque with the words USS Grayback.
"It was amazing. Everyone was excited," Taylor told The Washington Post. "Then you realize there are 80 men buried there, and it's a sobering experience."
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The husband and wife duo said they are trying to find all 52 submarines that have sunk and were never found, as part of the Lost 52 Project. They said they've found five submarines so far.
"We do not tell people that we're looking for these because we don't want to disappoint people, and we don't want to blast it across the Internet until its done properly through the Navy," Taylor told ABC News. "With the technology that we're using, and the ability to cover large swaths of ground, we're looking at the potential to find several more."
Part of the reason the submarine was lost for so many years, officials say, was because Japanese records on the sinking were not translated correctly. Researchers eventually found one digit was off, which had sent explorers 100 miles in the wrong direction.
"It's vital that we remember [the sailors], and that they feel that they haven't been forgotten," Dennison said. "The most important thing is, they're here, now they can be celebrated again, they can be honored again, and we know where they are."
