A LEGENDARY World War II US Navy submarine has been found some 80 years after it was sunk by enemy forces - along with 79 crew.
The USS Harder was lost in battle on August 24, 1944 as the US sought to retake the Philippines from occupying Japanese forces.
The submarine was discovered in the South China Sea, lying 3,000ft below water off the northern Philippine island of Luzon, the US Navy's History and Heritage Command (NHHC) revealed this week.
It was found sitting upright and intact, except for damage behind its conning tower reportedly inflicted by a Japanese depth charge.
Harder sank two Japanese escort ships off the Bataan Peninsula on August 22, 1944 and was headed north along the Luzon coast with two other submarines when it came by Japanese escort ship CD-22.
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The long-missing submarine fired three torpedoes, all of which missed their target, before it was sunk by the Japanese ship's fifth depth charge attack, according to Japanese records cited by NHHC.
Retired US Navy admiral NHHC Director Samuel Cox said: "Harder was lost in the course of victory.
"We must not forget that victory has a price, as does freedom."
The Harder wreck was confirmed by data provided by a project dubbed Lost 52, whose goal is to find all 52 subs lost in World War II.
Lost 52 has already located six WWII subs, said the NHHC.
Mr Cox said: "We are grateful that Lost 52 has given us the opportunity to once again honour the valour of the crew of the 'Hit 'em Harder' submarine," referencing the vessel's motto.
The wreck is said by the NHHC to be "the final resting place of sailors that gave their life in defence of the nation and should be respected by all parties as a war grave".
Formerly a US territory, the Philippines was attacked by Japan after it struck Pearl Harbour in December 1941.
US and Philippine forces on Luzon surrendered to Japanese forces in 1942, and Tokyo used the captured archipelago to protect its supply lines from the East Indies and Southeast Asia.
By mid-1944, the US was holding off Japanese gains across the Pacific and planning to do the same in the Philippines.
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Harder's captain Cmdr Samuel Dealey was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honour for his actions in the sub's fifth patrol - from March to July 1944 - during which time Harder sank three Japanese destroyers in just four days, according to the National Medal of Honour Museum.
The attack on Tokyo's destroyers forced Japan to change its battle plans and delay its carrier force, which is said to have contributed to the country's defeat.
One particularly harrowing encounter saw Dealey order a "down the throat" shot at the bow of a Japanese destroyer as it charged towards the US vessel, according to the museum.
The museum said: "At 1,500 yards, Dealey fired three torpedoes and ordered the sub to dive.
"As the Harder passed 80 feet underneath the destroyer, two of the torpedoes struck the ship, sending shock waves through the submarine."
Harder reportedly sunk 14 Japanese warships and merchant vessels on its first four patrols after it was commissioned in December 1942.
