According to the explorers, a U.S. Navy destroyer that faced a superior Japanese fleet in the largest naval battle of World War II in the Philippines has become the deepest shipwreck ever discovered.
The USS Samuel B Roberts, popularly known as the “Sammy B,” was identified Wednesday broken into two pieces on a slope at a depth of 22,916 feet (6,985 m), or about four miles.
This places it 1,400 feet deeper than the USS Johnston, the previous deepest shipwreck discovered last year in the Philippine Sea, also by American explorer Victor Vescovo, founder of Caladan Oceanic Expeditions, based to Dallas. He announced the latest finding along with UK-based Eyos Expeditions.
Torpedo tubes of the shipwreck Sammy B. Photo: Caladan Oceanic and Eyos Expeditions / AFP / Getty Images
“It was an extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship and, in doing so, to have the opportunity to retell its story of heroism and duty to those who may not know the ship and the sacrifice of its crew.” , Bishop, a former Navy commander, said in a statement.
Sammy B took part in the Battle of Samar, the final phase of the Battle of the Gulf of Leyte in October 1944, in which the Japanese Imperial Navy suffered its greatest loss of ships and was unable to dislodge northern forces. -Americans of Leyte, who invaded before. as part of the liberation of the Philippines.
The house of the wreck pilot. Photo: AP / Caladan Oceanic
According to some records, the destroyer disabled a Japanese heavy cruiser with a torpedo and significantly damaged another. After having spent virtually all of its ammunition, it was critically struck by the main battleship Yamato and sank. Of a crew of 224 men, 89 died and 120 were rescued, including the captain, Lieutenant Commander Robert W Copeland.
According to Samuel J Cox, a retired admiral and naval historian, Copeland declared that there was “no greater honor” than to have led men who showed such incredible courage in the battle against the overwhelming odds, of which no he could expect survival.
“This place is a sacred war grave and serves to remind all Americans of the great cost that previous generations have borne for the freedom we take for granted today,” Cox said in a statement.
The explorers said that until the discovery, the historical records of where the shipwreck was were not very accurate. The research involved using the deepest lateral scanning sonar ever installed and operated in a submarine, far beyond the standard commercial limitations of 19,685 feet, Eyos said.