Search for the USS Dorado

US Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH79755

Alan Crew is searching the Caribbean for this lost WWII submarine

USS Dorado (SS-248) was a Gato class submarine built at Groton Connecticut by Electric Boat and launched May 23, 1943. After commissioning and completing sea trials, USS Dorado was given orders to proceed to Pearl Harbor to join the Pacific Fleet. Dorado sailed from Groton on October 6th, 1943, heading through the Mona Passage and into the Caribbean Ocean, based on Operational Orders to report to the Panama Canal for passage, but Dorado never reported in. Research conducted by Dr. Campbell indicates that at about the same time USS Dorado would have been passing a point south of the Dominican Republic, a US patrol bomber (PBM) attached to VP-210 (Guantanamo Bay, Cuba) attacked what it thought was a German U-boat. That action occurred on October 12, 1943 and consisted of two separate attack runs that were executed approximately two hours apart. When USS Dorado failed to arrive at the entrance to the Panama Canal, the US Navy launched a search for the submarine and at the same time held an informal Board of Investigation at the squadron’s base in Guantanamo Bay; and later a more formal Court of Inquiry at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., to determine its fate. The investigations concluded that the crew of the PBM had more than likely attacked a German U-boat and not the USS Dorado. After the war, the German U-boat U-214 logbook was turned over to the Americans and translated; the log was later declassified and made available to Dr. Campbell under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The log showed that at about the same time as the attack, there was indeed a U-boat in the area, U-214, a 600-ton Type VII mine-laying submarine. Additionally, the logbook reflected the events occurring in the area and that the U-boat had witnessed the initial attack occurring a few miles away. The U-boat spotted a flare on the horizon that coincides with the PBM’s logbook that it had attacked and depth-charged a submarine and dropped a flare to witness the aftermath. The second attack by the PBM crew was on the U-boat itself, but consisted of search light flashes. When the U-boat began returning fire the PBM banked into cloud cover and the U-boat made an emergency dive. Neither saw each other again

In the mid 1970’s, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago began building a complex in British Honduras (renamed Belize in 1981 when they became an independent nation). The area where the complex was to be constructed was remote. As a result, during construction of this complex a runway was built to facilitate the movement of construction supplies to the site. A group of pilots who owned cargo aircraft capable of operating in remote locations were contracted to transport construction materials from the United States to the location in British Honduras. The last leg of their flight was from Cozumel to their final location. Early on in these flights the pilots identified a submerged feature which they believed was the conning tower or sail of a submarine. The pilots named the feature the “gray ghost” and began using the feature as an aerial waypoint on their approach to the construction site in British Honduras. On their flights to the construction site, the pilots would radio the site as they passed over the “gray ghost” waypoint, thus signaling the construction crews to prepare the runway so that they could safely land. The pilots described the feature as a submarine conning tower or sail that cast a significant shadow across the seafloor. They also reported that they believed that the feature was in approximately 100 feet of water.

Dr. Douglas Campbell is an acquaintance of one of the pilots. When he heard the story of the “gray ghost” he began researching its identity. His research was unable to identify any submarines that had been reported lost in the immediate area. He expanded his historical research to include all submarine activities in the general area. That search identified the USS Dorado, a World War II US submarine, as a vessel of interest. During his many years of research he has spoken to many family members of the Dorado Crew who generously gave photos and personal memorabilia of their fathers and in some cases their great- grandfathers. He has amassed much information on the USS Dorado including the submarines construction, sea trials, the transcript from the board of Inquiry and many subsequently declassified documents. You can read Doug’s blog on the USS Dorado Facebook Page.

Alan Crew helped organize and run a survey in 2007 utilizing standard underwater archaeological survey remote sensing techniques which located 26 targets worthy of further investigation. Unfortunately heavy seas and bad weather towards the end of the survey prohibited any diving to investigate. The purpose of the proposed 2011 trip is to locate, indentify and record these targets. For information about the trip and opportunities to join please contact AlanCrew@yahoo.com. Please join us on Facebook to keep up to date with developments.

Alan Crew
October 28th 2010