Australia Finds Wreck Of Japanese WW2 Disaster Ship
The hull of a Japanese transport ship that crashed off the Philippines during World War Two, killing nearly 1,000 Australian soldiers and civilians, has been discovered by deep-sea investigators.
The US submarine attacked the ship without realizing it was crammed with captives taken in Papua New Guinea, which was Australia’s greatest maritime disaster ever.
In July 1942, the Montevideo Maru sank.
Along with 33 Norwegian sailors and 20 Japanese guards and crew, an estimated 979 Australians perished.
The project was organized by the Australian Silentworld Foundation with assistance from the Dutch deep-sea survey business Fugro.
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) discovered the wreck at a depth of more than 4,000 meters (13,123 feet), which is deeper than the Titanic.
“It’s a war grave now, it’s a tomb that must be treated with appropriate respect,” search team member Captain Roger Turner told the BBC.
According to him, the AUV came within 45 meters of the crash.
“Seeing the images of the ship, with the closed hatch covers where prisoners were kept on the voyage, was an emotional experience.”
The wreck won’t be disturbed, and no artifacts or human remains will be taken, according to Silentworld.
“At long last, the resting place of the lost souls of the Montevideo Maru has been found,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
We hope that the news of today will give some solace to loved ones who have kept a lengthy vigil.
Torpedoes fired from the USS Sturgeon quickly sank the vessel.
By phone from the search vessel, Capt. Turner reported that six minutes after being struck, the Montevideo Maru had adopted a sharp angle and had submerged beneath the waves in eleven minutes. 102 Japanese crew members and guards rowed to the Philippines in just three lifeboats that were deployed.
Director of Silentworld John Mullen stated that families had “waited years for news of their missing loved ones”.
“Today, by discovering the ship,