Nearly 80 years after it sank, a shipwreck at the bottom of the world’s deepest ocean was discovered more than four miles down. Explorers have discovered the USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts in the Philippine Sea.
Hunters have been stumped for decades by their mysterious disappearance nearly 78 years ago in the Western Pacific Ocean. It was only on June 22 that the wreck was discovered by adventurer Victor Vescovo, who has swum to some of the world’s deepest points.
At a depth of 22,621 feet (more than 3,000 feet taller than the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro), he discovered the broken vessel.
A sonar specialist and a pilot accompanied the explorer as they descended to the depths of the shipwreck in an attempt to locate it from the beginning to the end.
The ship’s two halves were found to be 33 feet apart after the team descended six times over the course of eight days. The team was forced to retrace their steps after previous information about the ship’s location proved to be incorrect.
Aside from that, they had a custom-built side-scan solar system that they had researched extensively. The three-tube torpedo launcher of Sammy B was found by Vescovo and his army of experts, indicating that it was in the area.
During their final dive expedition, they discovered the shipwreck and claimed the title of the deepest shipwreck ever discovered. An extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship, and by doing so have the opportunity of telling her story of heroism and duty to those who may not know the story of the ship and her crew’s sacrifice,” Vescovo said of the discovery.
With a depth of 6,895 meters, it is the deepest shipwreck ever discovered and surveyed.
That’s what he said: “It appears that her bow was hit by some force, which caused some buckles.” The wreckage was intact, but the stern of the ship broke off about 5 meters after impact.
“This small ship took on the best of the Japanese Navy and fought them to the end,” says the author.
During the Battle of Samar in 1944, a Japanese ship is thought to have sunk the incredible warship. Along with other US ships, the Sammy B went down with the USS Johnston and was lost for decades at sea.
As a small military ship, the Sammy B was a bit of a challenge to locate in the vast and extremely deep ocean where she went down,” Vescovo told CNN.
“But with perseverance, some great historical analysis, and a whole lot of deep ocean technology and hard work, we were able to find her and provide a great opportunity to tell her amazing story.
“It is unbelievably thrilling to find a wreck on the bottom of the deep ocean, given all the difficulties in trying to find them.
“It is such an immense privilege to be the first person to see them after they went down in battle almost 80 years ago.”
Finding its final resting place was made possible thanks to an innovative blend of detective work and new technology.
