Navy officials at Pearl Harbor yesterday confirmed that the wreckage of a sunken vessel off the Aleutian Islands is that of the USS Grunion, which disappeared during World War II.

"I am honored to announce that, with records and information provided by the Abele family and assistance from the Naval Historical Center, USS Grunion has been located," Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny said in a news release.

"We are very grateful to the family of Grunion's commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele, for providing the underwater video footage and pictures that allowed us to make this determination," McAneny said.

"We hope this announcement will help to give closure to the families of the 70 crewmen of Grunion."

Grunion was last heard from July 30, 1942. The submarine reported heavy anti-submarine activity at the entrance to Kiska, and that it had 10 torpedoes remaining forward. On the same day, Grunion was directed to return to Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base. The submarine was reported lost Aug. 16, 1942.

Japanese anti-submarine attack data recorded no attack in the Aleutian area at the time of Grunion's disappearance, so the submarine's fate remained an unsolved mystery for more than 60 years, the Navy said.

Abele's sons, Bruce, Brad and John, began working on a plan to find the sub after finding information on the Internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location.

In August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile below the ocean's surface. A second expedition in August 2007 using a high-definition camera on a remotely operated vehicle yielded video footage and high resolution photos of the wreckage.