Profile
Tamaki Ura
What do you hope to accomplish through your research?
There is a world that has yet to be discovered under the sea, especially in the deep sea, which is not easily accessible to humans. To get there, we need advanced technology and the cooperation of many people.
Society La Plongee for Deep Sea Engineering, established in 2017, aims to "contribute to the enhancement of the public's understanding of the oceans through activities related to the dissemination and promotion of underwater activities, including research on academic techniques related to the deep sea, underwater observation and operations, and equipment development.
To date, we have been engaged in research on sunken vessels sitting on the seafloor. We believe that by investigating sunken vessels using state-of-the-art technology, we can deepen our understanding of deep-sea engineering and clarify the historical background.
What approach are you trying to use to achieve this?
In 2020, the Albacore Exploration Project was launched. The submarine "Albacore" (USS Albacore SS-218) is the seventh of 77 Gato class submarines built by the U.S. Navy during the Pacific War, and is 96.3 meters long with one 4-inch gun (aft of the ship), a 20mm machine gun (front and rear of the bridge), and 10 21-inch torpedo tubes. She sank the aircraft carrier Taiho, the light cruiser Tenryu, and the destroyers Oshio and Ren. On November 7, 1944, she touched mines and sank off the coast of Esan, Hokkaido. The 85-member crew went down with the Albacore.
The spread of COVID-19 forced the postponement of project activities. But with the support of crowdfunding by academist, we restart the project in May 2022. Two multibeam sonar units and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) were introduced to find the Albacore. On May 25 and 26, 2022, we scanned the research area with multibeam sonar and discovered a 50-meter-long sunken vessel on the seafloor at a depth of 237 meters, about 7 km off the coast of Esan, Hakodate. A small ROV showed us the bridge of the ship and we confirmed that it was a submarine. We were convinced that it was the U.S. Navy submarine "Albacore" based on a synthesis of various information from 78 years ago.
What is the research topic you will be conducting for this project?
During this May survey activity, a small ROV was deployed to obtain footage of the bridge area. Unfortunately, the ROV was trapped by the bridge, restricting its movement, and we were unable to obtain a sufficient amount of footage. We were reminded that it is a difficult task for a small ROV to dive into a sunken ship, even to a depth of 200 meters.
Therefore, we would like to ask for your support for the second survey using a medium-sized ROV. We plan to deploy the medium sized ROV "Cougar" to Albacore on October 2, 2022 to capture the entire feature of the Albacore with camera and sonar images.
The support vessel is the 262-ton No.8 Kaiyo Maru, equipped with a Dynamic Positioning System (DPS). The DPS will allow us to stay directly above the Alubacore without anchoring, which should allow us to safely survey the vessel.
Just as we have revealed the full feathre of the submarine I-47, this survey will reveal the full details of the Albacore and show you the realities of underwater technology.
Request for Research Funding Support
The past five surveys have been mainly funded by research funds from crowdfunding. We would like to thank again those who have supported and encouraged us. We believe that the research on wrecks, which is conducted on a volunteer basis and does not seek profit, is meaningful only when it is conducted with the cooperation of many people. We also believe it is important to raise awareness of the importance of participation by disclosing all information and providing live coverage. So that we will be conducting this survey based on the same concept. Furthermore, since the survey targets U.S. submarines, we hope to receive international support.
The research will be conducted on a volunteer basis. Research funds will be used for charter fees, transportation, and public relations. Please give our sixth survey your support and encouragement. Once we are able to show you the details of Albacore, we will be able to move on to the next phase of our research. There are still many wrecks that we need to reveal their location and current status.
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The entire survey will be broadcast live on Nico Nico Live.
https://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv336612796
We are planning to broadcast it with simultaneous interpretation.
Scheduled to begin at 5:30 on Sunday, October 2, 2022.
The live broadcast schedule of "Finding the Lost Submarine "ALBACORE""
October 2 (Sun.) ROV survey after confirming the ship's location by multibeam sonar
October 3 (Mon.) Preliminary day
Project timeline
| Date | Plans |
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Pledge Rewards
We will send you a "Summary of Survey Results (PDF)" summarizing our survey. We will put a lot of effort into preparing this document, so please support us.
Summary of Survey Results (PDF) / Thank You Message
scheduled date details
| return | scheduled date |
|---|---|
| 調査結果概要（PDF）／お礼メッセージ | March, 2023 |
54 supporters are supporting with this reward. （No quantity limit）
Your name will be listed on the summary of survey results sent to all supporters.
Your name in the survey report summary / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message
scheduled date details
| return | scheduled date |
|---|---|
| 調査結果概要（PDF）／お礼メッセージ | March, 2023 |
| 調査報告概要にお名前掲載 | March, 2023 |
82 supporters are supporting with this reward. （No quantity limit）
We will compile the results as soon as possible after the survey is completed and hold an online lecture to report the results (the image shows the special debriefing session for the "I58" project). The archived video of the day will be made available exclusively to participants.
Online special debriefing session / Your name will be listed in the survey summary / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message
scheduled date details
| return | scheduled date |
|---|---|
| 調査結果概要（PDF）／お礼メッセージ | March, 2023 |
| 調査報告概要にお名前掲載 | March, 2023 |
| オンライン特別報告会 | October, 2023 |
55 supporters are supporting with this reward. （No quantity limit）
We will send you a detailed report of the entire survey. Please support us!
Detailed survey report (PDF) / Online special briefing session / Your name in the survey report summary / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message
scheduled date details
| return | scheduled date |
|---|---|
| 調査結果概要（PDF）／お礼メッセージ | March, 2023 |
| 調査報告概要にお名前掲載 | March, 2023 |
| オンライン特別報告会 | October, 2023 |
| 調査報告詳細版（PDF） | March, 2023 |
16 supporters are supporting with this reward. （No quantity limit）
We will send you a detailed video footage of the survey results, including underwater footage.
Survey video / Detailed survey report (PDF) / Online special briefing / Your name in the survey summary / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message
scheduled date details
| return | scheduled date |
|---|---|
| 調査結果概要（PDF）／お礼メッセージ | March, 2023 |
| 調査報告概要にお名前掲載 | March, 2023 |
| オンライン特別報告会 | October, 2023 |
| 調査報告詳細版（PDF） | March, 2023 |
| 調査ビデオ | July, 2023 |
8 supporters are supporting with this reward. （No quantity limit）
Let's have an online discussion about the Albacore survey! The date and content will be discussed individually. (about 1 hour)
Individual discussion / Survey video / Detailed survey report (PDF) / Online special briefing / Your name in the survey summary / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message
scheduled date details
| return | scheduled date |
|---|---|
| 調査結果概要（PDF）／お礼メッセージ | March, 2023 |
| 調査報告概要にお名前掲載 | March, 2023 |
| オンライン特別報告会 | October, 2023 |
| 調査報告詳細版（PDF） | March, 2023 |
| 調査ビデオ | July, 2023 |
| 個別ディスカッション | April, 2023 |
1 supporters are supporting with this reward. （No quantity limit）
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Summary of Survey Results (PDF) / Thank You Message
54
supporters
back
（No quantity limit）
Your name in the research report summary and others
82
supporters
back
（No quantity limit）
Online Special Debriefing and others
55
supporters
back
（No quantity limit）
Detailed Research Report (PDF) and others
16
supporters
back
（No quantity limit）
Survey Video and others
8
supporters
back
（No quantity limit）
Individual Discussion and others
1
supporters
back
（No quantity limit）
academist Prize 4th adopted
