An American exploration team announced Saturday June 25 that they had found the wreckage of a US Navy destroyer that was sunk during World War II and sent to a depth of 7,000m near the Philippines.
It’s a new record. A US Navy destroyer sunk in World War II has been found almost 7,000 meters deep off the Philippines, making it the deepest wreck ever found, a US exploration team announced Saturday June 25.
A manned submersible filmed, photographed and inspected the damaged hull of the USS Samuel B. Roberts during a series of eight-day dives, Texas-based underwater technology company Caladan Oceanic said.
Battle off the island of Samar
The “Sammy B” sank during a battle off Samar Island on October 25, 1944, as American forces attempted to liberate the Philippines, then a United States colony under Japanese occupation. The released footage shows the three tubes of a torpedo launcher and the ship’s gun mount.
Part of the dive on the Sammy B. It appears that her bow hit the seabed with some force, causing a buckling. Her stern also separated about 5 meters on impact, but the whole wreckage was together. This small ship took on the best of the Japanese Navy and fought them to the end. pic.twitter.com/fvi6uB0xUQ
—Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) June 24, 2022
“At 6,895 meters it is now the deepest shipwreck ever found and surveyed,” tweeted Caladan Oceanic founder Victor Vescovo, who piloted the submersible. “This small ship took on the best elements of the Japanese Navy and fought them to the bitter end,” he added.
With sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet, I steered the Limiting Factor submersible to the wreck of the Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413). At 6,895 meters it is now the deepest shipwreck ever found and surveyed. It was indeed the “destroyer escort that fought like a battleship”. pic.twitter.com/VjNVERdTxh
—Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) June 24, 2022
to discover other ships
According to US Navy records, “The crew of the Sammy B floated for nearly three days waiting to be rescued, with many survivors succumbing to their injuries and shark attacks.” Of the 224 crew members, 89 died. The event took place during the Battle of Leyte, which saw fierce fighting between Japanese and American forces for several days. The Sammy B was one of four American ships sunk on October 25, 1944.
Mr. Vescovo’s team had previously sighted the USS Johnston in 2021, which rests at nearly 20,000 feet and was the deepest known wreck up to that point. The team is also searching for the USS Gambier Bay at a depth of more than 7,000 meters but has not yet been able to locate it. However, information is lacking to hope to locate the USS Hoel. For comparison: the wreck of the Titanic is almost 4,000 meters deep.