World War II ship that sank with more than 1,000 Allied POWs on board is found
SYDNEY — A team of explorers said it has found a sunken Japanese ship that was transporting Allied prisoners of war when it was torpedoed off the Philippines in 1942, resulting in Australia’s largest maritime wartime loss and a total of 1,080 deaths.
The wreck of the Montevideo Maru was located after a 12-day search at a depth of more than 13,120 feet — deeper than the Titanic — off Luzon island in the South China Sea, using an autonomous underwater vehicle with built-in sonar.
There will be no efforts to remove artifacts or human remains out of respect for the families of those who died, said a statement Saturday from the Sydney-based Silentworld Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to maritime archaeology and history. It took part in the mission with Dutch deep-sea survey specialists Fugro and Australia’s Defense Department.
“The extraordinary effort behind this discovery speaks for the enduring truth of Australia’s solemn national promise to always remember and honor those who served our country,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
The USS Samuel B. Roberts, popularly known as the ‘Sammy B,’ was identified broken into two pieces on a slope at a depth of 22,916 feet.
The Montevideo Maru was transporting prisoners and civilians who were captured after the fall of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. The ship was not marked as carrying POWs, and on July 1, 1942, the U.S. submarine Sturgeon, after stalking the ship through the night, fired four torpedoes, which found their target, sinking the vessel in less than 10 minutes.
Those killed included 1,080 people from 14 nations, including 979 Australians.
“Families waited years for news of their missing loved ones, before learning of the tragic outcome of the sinking,” said Silentworld director John Mullen. “Some never fully came to accept that their loved ones were among the victims. Today, by finding the vessel, we hope to bring closure to the many families devastated by this terrible disaster.”
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