Overview

• The USS F-1 submarine, which sank off the coast of San Diego in 1917, was photographed and filmed for the first time during a 2025 expedition by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and partners.
• Using cutting-edge technology, including autonomous underwater vehicles and submersibles, researchers conducted a detailed survey of the wreck located 400 meters below the surface.
• The submarine sank in just 10 seconds after a collision with its sister ship, USS F-3, during a training exercise, resulting in the loss of 19 crew members out of 24.
• The expedition team created high-resolution 3D models of the wreck and held a remembrance ceremony aboard the research vessel, ringing a bell 19 times to honor the lost sailors.
• The mission also documented the wreckage of a World War II-era Avenger torpedo bomber that crashed in the same area in 1950.