The USS Dorado Project

Page Listing

Main Page

Latest News & Updates

The Submarine

The Crew

Photographs

The Loss Scenario

The Aircraft

Case for the Purple Heart

The Myths

Research Documents

The latest updates and project news can be found at this link!

Questions, comments? Are you a Dorado family member? Send us an email at this address.

Welcome to The USS Dorado Project!!

This is a new site dedicated to telling the complete story of the WWII submarine USS Dorado (SS-248), and detailing the circumstances of her unfortunate loss in 1943. We will present our case as to what we believe happened to the Dorado, and will close out many of the myths that are out there concerning her loss. A major part of this project concerns our development of a comprehensive scenario in which we can describe her likely final resting place. We will also have photographs, charts, graphs, and other pertinent information. There will be a page dedicated to the crew, so that you will have a sense for who these men were, and what their loss meant to their families.

This site was created on a PC with the screen resolution set to 2560x1440 at 125% scale. It is fully functional on any device, including mobile devices, but be aware that viewing it on smaller screens or at lower resolutions may result in the software readjusting how the content is arranged and formatted. All of the site's pages are linked in the information bar immediately below the header at the top of each page. We are still finalizing the formatting on the site and are adding new content often, so please bear with us as we bring the site to fruition.

Goals & Principles

● Find Dorado's final resting place and provide photographic and video documentation of the wreck to the greatest extent possible.
● In the event that the wreck site is found, all possible effort will be made to ensure the project adheres to the letter and the spirit of the Sunken Military Craft Act..
● Develop a comprehensive loss scenario using information gathered from the photo and video documentation.
● Properly honor the dedication and sacrifice of her crew and provide closure to the families and the United States Navy.
● Provide impetus to the effort to secure the Purple Heart medal for her crew.

Origins of the USS Dorado Project

Thaddeus Weaver, David Johnston and Stephen Katona met for the first time in September of 2023 at the U.S. Navy's Submarine Force Library & Museum in Groton, CT during a Memorial Service for the crew of submarine USS Albacore (SS-218). Albacore was lost during the Second World War and was discovered in May of 2022 by Dr. Tamaki Ura off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan. Thaddeus, Dave and Steve were volunteers for this event which sought to honor the sacrifice of the crew and to provide closure to the family members. It was a moving experience, as loved ones shared memories and told stories passed down to them about the crew members lost on the Albacore.

At the close of the Memorial Service, Thaddeus shared his own two year passion project with Steve and Dave; carefully researched theories regarding the disappearance of another of the 52 U.S. submarines lost during WWII, the USS Dorado. Asking for their review of his conclusions as subject matter experts, the vision was cast that day for holding a similar memorial service one day for the crew of the Dorado upon her discovery.

Project Staff

Thaddeus Weaver - Project Manager

Thaddeus Weaver grew up in the 80's and 90's living coast-to-coast as the son of a U.S. Navy submariner. He has lived in Rhode Island since 1996, and graduated from the New England Institute of Technology in 2005 with a Bachelor’s degree in the field of Video and Audio Production. Developing his career as a technician at AV production companies and later self-employed as a freelance videographer and editor, he's been a Multimedia Specialist as a government contractor at the Naval War College in Newport, RI since 2019. A lifelong avid reader of the Second World War, he is the Content Creator of the Naval Intrigue YouTube channel and has published researched documentaries on naval stories of interest.

David Johnston - Submarine Historian

DCC(SS/SW) David L. "Dave" Johnston, USN (Ret.) is a native of Michigan and first joined the Navy in September, 1983. Over the course of a 21-year career Chief Johnston served on the USS Darter (SS-576), four Mine Countermeasures ships, and the USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98). He has been on the staffs of Navy Operational Support Centers (aka Navy Reserve Centers) in Des Moines IA, Brunswick ME, Rochester NY, Battle Creek MI, and on the staff of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bath ME. He has made four overseas deployments to Japan and the western Pacific, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. He retired from active duty in August, 2019.

His awards include the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/ “M” device, and a COMSUBGRU 7 Letter of Commendation. Chief Johnston is Qualified in Submarines and Surface Warfare.

During a break in service in the 1990’s, he worked in the travel, security, and retail industries.

Dave is a published historian, author, and technical consultant on submarine history for aspiring authors. He is a co-founder and webmaster of PigBoats.COM, a submarine history website and a passion for him since 2001. He volunteers his time as an independent researcher for the Naval History & Heritage Command and was part of the team that identified the wreckage of the USS Albacore (SS-218) in 2023 and the USS Harder (SS-257) in 2024. He has contributed research and analysis to the discoveries of five other lost USN submarines. He is active in the Hampton Roads Base of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. He resides in Norfolk, VA with his wife Theresa. He is a proud father and grandfather and an avid world traveler.

Stephen Katona - Search Area Development/Document Research

Steve Katona began his federal career at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1979 and is now a retired intelligence officer residing in Milton, Delaware. Since 2018, he has been a volunteer with the Naval History & Heritage Command where he has provided research support to the search for and discovery of lost U.S. aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines. He was a key member of the team that identified the wreck site of the USS Albacore (SS-218) in 2023 and took the lead in arranging memorial services for the family members. His current research interest is the lost WWII submarines with a connection to Delaware including USS Corvina, Herring and Kete. He has also provided research support to exhibits on USS Arizona and the Lost WWII Submariners of Delaware at the Fort Miles Museum in Lewes, DE.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, Mr. Charles Hinman of the On Eternal Patrol website provided Thad with the inspiration and encouragement to pursue this multi-year effort. His database of lost submariners is without parallel and is a prime resource for this site. Thank you Charles for your support.

To Dr. Douglas E. Campbell, Ph.D we would like to express our deep appreciation for his diligent work in hunting down primary document files through the Freedom of Information Act and publishing it in his book USS Dorado (SS-248): On Eternal Patrol. Without the sources he was able to obtain we would not have had sufficient information to form the basis of our work.

Mr. Nathaniel S. Patch, an archivist at The National Archives in Washington, DC has done an exhaustive amount of searching in the archives for Dorado information and his help has been invaluable.

We owe a great deal of thanks to Rear Admiral Samuel Cox, Director of the Naval History & Heritage Command, and the staff of his Underwater Archeology Branch for reviewing our material, providing us with advice, and helping us to refine the scope of the project.

Dr. Larry Stone, Dr. Doug Marble, and Mr. Brady Meyers of Metron, Inc., a Reston, VA. based technology and oceanographic research firm, provided us with invaluable assistance in developing our refined search area. Their work is greatly appreciated by us.

Page created by:
Thaddeus Weaver & David Johnston
©2025 - Thaddeus Weaver & PigBoats.COM
West Warwick, RI, Norfolk, VA
ussdoradoproject@gmail.com