MANILA, April 4, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – A US navy destroyer sunk during World War
II and lying nearly 6,500 metres below sea level off the Philippines has been
reached in the world’s deepest shipwreck dive, an American exploration team
said.
A crewed submersible filmed, photographed and surveyed the wreckage of the
USS Johnston off Samar Island during two eight-hour dives completed late last
month, Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic said.
The 115-metre-long ship was sunk on October 25, 1944 during the Battle of
Leyte Gulf as US forces fought to liberate the Philippines — then a US
colony — from Japanese occupation.
Its location in the Philippine Sea was discovered in 2019 by another
expedition group, but most of the wreckage was beyond the reach of their
remotely-operated vehicle.
“Just completed the deepest wreck dive in history, to find the main
wreckage of the destroyer USS Johnston,” tweeted Caladan Oceanic founder
Victor Vescovo, who piloted the submersible.
“We located the front 2/3 of the ship, upright and intact, at a depth of
6456 meters. Three of us across two dives surveyed the vessel and gave
respects to her brave crew.”
Only 141 of the ship’s 327 crew survived, according to US Navy records.
The Caladan Oceanic-backed expedition found the bow, bridge and mid-section
intact with the hull number “557” still visible.
Two full five-inch gun turrets, twin torpedo racks and multiple gun mounts
remain in place, it said.
Team navigator and historian Parks Stephenson said the wreck bore the
damage inflicted during the intense surface battle 76 years ago.
“It took fire from the largest warship ever constructed — the Imperial
Japanese Navy battleship Yamato, and ferociously fought back,” said
Stephenson.
Sonar data, imagery and field notes collected during the dives would be
turned over to the US Navy, Vescovo said.