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4. December 23, 2024

Brazil’s Oldest Submariner Revisits the Sunken Vessel He Served on 67 Years Prior

Three years after leading a livestreamed remotely operated vehicle dive on a scuttled World War II submarine, NOAA Ocean Exploration received an unexpected email from a writer in Brazil. José Osório Neto was reaching out on behalf of his 101-year-old father, José Osório de Oliveira Filho — a decorated World War II veteran of the Brazilian Navy. More remarkably still, Filho had served on the now-sunken submarine nearly seventy years prior. The pair had recently found a recording of the 2021 exploration of the wreck online and watched it together. Neto was now writing to convey his thanks and describe “the emotion that gripped my father when he watched the video of the wreck… after so many years, [which] made him relive incredible moments of his life on that submarine and in the Brazilian Navy.”

The Humaitá (S-14), as it was known when Filho served aboard it in 1957, began its life as USS Muskallunge (SS-262), an American-built Gato-class submarine launched in 1942. Entering U.S. naval service in March 1943 and sent to the Pacific Theater, Muskallunge and its crew engaged in seven war patrols earning five battle stars for its service. During the war in the Pacific, “boats like USS Muskallunge played a critical role” said Timothy L. Francis, Ph.D., U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command historian, “sailing on repeated war patrols to target enemy shipping and help collapse the Japanese war economy.”

Post-war, Muskallunge was a part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1957, when the U.S. loaned the submarine to Brazil as part of the Military Assistance Program. It was then that Filho, a 34-year-old radiotelegraph operator, first crossed paths with the vessel. Neto explained that his father was in the first contingent of Brazilian military personnel to be sent to study at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut. The group first trained on the USS Diablo (SS-479) before beginning the month-long journey to bring the submarine to Brazil, now bearing its new name, Humaitá. The submarine served Brazil until its return to the U.S. in March 1968. Four months later, the vessel served its final mission as a live-fire target before being intentionally sunk in the waters off Long Island, New York.

While aboard Humaitá, Filho operated the radio when the submarine was on the surface and the sonar when it was submerged. He remained with the submarine flotilla for several years, before being transferred to a destroyer. Neto shared how he first learned about his father’s history with the Humaitá, and the sequence of events that led to his unexpected reunion with the vessel in 2024:

My father had been invited by the Commander of the Brazilian Navy Archives to see some photos taken of him at the submarine base in New London, Connecticut, USA, dated 1957. When we arrived there, we not only saw the photos but also learned about the naval history of the USS Muskallunge. I was fascinated by its historical content, where American sailors suffered, were moved, and survived during various missions in which this submarine was involved. Knowing that my father was also part of this historical context in Brazil and that he was part of the first Brazilian submarine crew, I became captivated by the story of the Muskallunge/Humaitá. As soon as I got home, I decided to search on YouTube for something that could give me more insight into the past of this distinguished submarine, and to my surprise, I found the NOAA video where you showed the remains of this house of honor and glory for two navies — the United States and Brazil. I immediately sat my father (101 years old) in front of the television to watch it. He sat in silence, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It really was the submarine he had boarded in New London. He was saddened to learn it had been sunk as a target, but resigned, acknowledging that there is no better place to lay a submarine to rest than at the bottom of the sea.

The Humaitá/Muskallunge was rediscovered in 2021 during an expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Using the ship’s multibeam sonar, the expedition team identified two potential dive targets in the vicinity of the vessel’s sinking coordinates provided by the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. A subsequent dive to further investigate these targets revealed the remains of the vessel. Collaborations are key to the office’s ability to locate and document archaeological sites like Humaitá, and partners at the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, SEARCH Inc., NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and many members of the public all tuned in to watch the real-time exploration of Humaitá/Muskallunge, commemorating its history as a decorated warship that served two navies, and seeking to better understand its current state as a flourishing island of biodiversity in the deep, nutrient-rich waters off New York.

“Exploring our maritime heritage is, at its foundation, the telling of the human experience and our connection with the sea,” said NOAA Ocean Exploration’s director, Jeremy Weirich. “Our collaborative expeditions not only reveal incredible and sometimes complicated stories of our past, but also create a shared perspective about how we tell those stories going forward. It has been NOAA Ocean Exploration’s privilege to work alongside our partners to explore this wreck site and share José’s remarkable story."

These stories allow for new conversations and the exchange of ideas and perspectives, while also highlighting longstanding relationships and shared histories. “Scientific and military cooperation has been one of the key issues in the 200 years of bilateral relations between the United States and Brazil, celebrated in 2024,” wrote the Embassy of Brazil in Washington, D.C. “Joint efforts in research, innovation, and maritime security have deepened our ties, addressed shared challenges, and advanced the well-being of both nations, as exemplified by the Humaitá (S-14) submarine…” The embassy continued, “this collaboration has strengthened our diplomatic bond and demonstrated the power of science and maritime endeavors in bridging nations.”

Published December 23, 2024