"Better late than never" is a mostly true maxim. It's doubly so when it comes to finding the final resting places of U.S. servicemembers:

William Bower II feared he would never know where his father's final resting place was, but he hung on to hope for decades.

On Thursday, the Missouri retired aerospace engineer fought back tears as he was notified that a submarine wreck, discovered off the coast of Japan last year, is what remains of the USS Albacore – one of 52 Navy submarines lost during World War II, according to Naval History and Heritage Command, or NHCC.

According to Navy records, the submarine is believed to have been struck by a mine on November 7, 1944, and sank off the coast of Hokkaido.

The discovery of the sub — and of the senior Bower's presumed resting place — is more than just mere history, it's deeply personal for that family:

"My mother received a telegram from the Navy on the 21st of December 1944 that my dad's submarine was overdue in returning to port and he was missing in action," Bower, 78, told CNN.

He was born nearly two months after the Albacore sank and only knows his father through photos and stories.

The waters in which the sub came to rest were less than 1,000 feet deep, which you'd think would mean it could have been discovered well before this. But there are a lot of waters off the coast of Japan, and it was pretty fortuitous that this sub was found at all:

NHCC says their archeologists used underwater imagery provided by Dr. Tamaki Ura from the University of Tokyo to positively identify the wreckage of the Albacore this week.

Researchers say Japanese records guided Ura to the suspected shipwreck site in May 2022 where he made the initial discovery of a wreck. Ura used a remotely operated vehicle to capture images of the submarine's remains, which showed unique modifications made to the Albacore just before its final patrol. After months of analysis, NHCC researchers were finally able to confirm their suspicions.

The Navy, meanwhile, said it best:

"As the final resting place for Sailors who gave their life in defense of our nation, we sincerely thank and congratulate Dr. Ura and his team for their efforts in locating the wreck of Albacore," wrote NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, a retired US Navy rear admiral.