World’s deepest shipwreck found 80 years after it was sunk four miles in World War II battle – World News

The USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts, known as Sammy B, was lost in a naval battle on October 25, 1944 – but new sonar technology has allowed researchers to finally locate the wreck

The world’s deepest shipwreck was discovered almost 80 years after it was sunk in World War II.

The USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts, known colloquially as Sammy B, was defeated by the Japanese on October 25, 1944 in a bloody naval battle east of the Philippines.

It had 224 crew members on board when it sank, 89 of whom were killed.

Now the heroic ship has finally been found 22,621 feet (4.21 miles) below sea level in the Philippine Sea, beating the previous record set by the USS Johnston, which was found at 21,223 feet.

Victor Vescovo, an explorer who also found the USS Johnston last year, located the wreck June 22 after making six unsuccessful dives looking for the wreck.

It had broken into two pieces that lay about 33 feet apart on the sea floor.

Previous records of the ships’ positions were inaccurate, but Vescovo, his company Caladan Oceanic, and a team from EYOS Expeditions used a custom-built sidescan solar system to track it.

“The Sammy B is a small ship compared to military ships, and we weren’t really sure if we could find her in the huge and extremely deep ocean that she went down in,” he told CNN.

“But with perseverance, some great historical analysis, and a whole lot of deep sea technology and hard work, we were able to find her and provide a great opportunity to tell her amazing story,” he said.

“Finding a wreck at the bottom of the deep ocean is incredibly exciting given all the difficulty of finding it. It’s such a privilege to be the first person to see them after they fell in battle almost 80 years ago.”

The Sammy B’s heroic crew were “completely surpassed” by three Japanese battleships, including one believed to be the largest ever built, but they fought valiantly until she went under.

“The heroism of their captain and crew is legendary in the Navy and it was a great honor to find their final resting place,” Vescoco said.

“I think it helps complete the story of the ship for the families of the lost and those who served on her.” I think when a ship disappears into the depths, never to be seen again, it can leave loved ones with the ship feeling a sense of emptiness.

“Locating the wrecks can help find closure and also provide details about the battle that we may not have known before. As we say, ‘Steel doesn’t lie’.”

It is hoped that the new Deep Ocean Search sidescan sonar will be able to penetrate to the bottom of the ocean and locate more long-lost shipwrecks in the future.