The USS Grunion submarine, sunk during World War II with 70 men on board, including one from Detroit, may have been found this week in the depths of the ocean off the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
But a search for the Detroit sailor's family is still going on in southeast Michigan.
Navy Seaman Second Class Byron A. Traviss of Detroit was serving aboard the Grunion when it sent its last transmission July 30, 1942.
Mary Bentz, whose uncle Carmine Parziale also served on the Grunion with Traviss, is among those leading a search for surviving relatives of the crew.
Launched from Groton, Conn., in 1941, the Grunion set sail from Hawaii in June 1942 to patrol routes between the Aleutian Islands and Japan, according to the Department of the Navy. In July 1942, the submarine was reassigned to Kiska Island.
After the Grunion's final transmission on July 30, the ship was officially reported lost.
It was helmed by Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele, whose family began its search for the ship in August 2006.
Brothers Bruce and John Abele financed a search that included consultants and a search ship.
Since last summer their search has been tracked by National Public Radio, ABCNews.com and CNN.
The Abeles also created a Web site detailing the search.
Thursday morning, John Abele, aboard the search ship near the Aleutian Islands, said:
"We found a submarine tonight. ... But we have now lost it, despite documenting location. Nevertheless we have photographic documentation showing prop guard of Grunion style. It imploded dramatically and is a tangle of pipes."
The Grunion search team, aboard the boat Aquila, has used sonar scans and a remote operated vehicle with broadcast-quality high-definition video, and low light cameras, targeting the area near the tip of the Aleutian chain. In the process, they located the ruins of three Japanese ships.
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