A US Navy warship sunk during World War II has been found nearly 7,000 meters below sea level near Philippines , making it the deepest shipwreck ever discovered in the world, a team of American expeditions announced. .
According to CNN (CNN) reported on June 24, local time, on October 25, 1944, the USS Samuel B. Roberts (USS Samuel B Roberts) escorted a destroyer during the Battle of Samar Island in the Philippines. It was sunk at a time when the Philippines was a Japanese colony and the U.S. military was fighting to liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation.
Schematic diagram of the location of the naval battle on Samar Island
Caladan Ocean, an undersea technology company in Texas, USA, said that during a series of dives over eight days this month, a manned submersible was launched on June 22. The wreck was located, and the damaged hull of the Samuel B. Roberts was photographed and surveyed. It "sleeps" on a slope on the seabed, divided into two halves, about 10 meters apart.
Triple torpedo launchers on the wreck of the Samuel B. Roberts captured by the expedition team
Video images show the ship's triple torpedo launchers and gun mounts. Victor Vescovo, the submersible pilot and founder of Galadan Marine Company, wrote on social media Twitter: "The depth of the sinking is 6895 meters, which is the deepest location and survey so far. Shipwreck."
The damaged hull of the Samuel B. Roberts
During World War II , American and Japanese forces fought fierce battles for several days at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Battle of Samar was part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf and has been described as one of the largest naval battles in history. The U.S. military defeated the strong and defeated the Japanese fleet that intended to attack the Leyte Gulf landing site.
The USS Samuel B. Roberts was one of four United States destroyers and destroyer escorts sunk during the engagement. They fought with more than 20 battleships, including three Japanese battleships, including the Yamato, the largest battleship in history.
Although the Samuel B. Roberts was eventually sunk, it hit Japanese targets with its naval gun many times, and successfully carried out a torpedo strike, earning the title of "escort destroyer that fights like a battleship."
The destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts before it sank
According to U.S. Navy records, the crew of the USS Samuel B. Roberts "floated for nearly three days awaiting rescue, and many survivors died from injuries and shark attacks." ". Of the 224 ship personnel, 89 were killed. 120 of the survivors had to stay on life rafts for 50 hours before being rescued.
"As we say 'steel does not lie', the wreckage of the ship is the last witness of their battle," Vescovo said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Elite troops fight and fight to the end."
The expedition team reached the location where the destroyer USS Johnston sank at a depth of 6,460 meters in 2021. At that time, the USS Johnston was the deepest shipwreck discovered in the world. The destroyer was also sunk by the Japanese during the Battle of Samar Island.
In a recent search, the expedition team also searched more than 7,000 meters underwater, and the USS Gambier Bay escort destroyer also sank in nearby waters, but failed to find it. The expedition team did not search for the destroyer USS Hoel because of a lack of reliable data indicating where it might have sunk.
In contrast, the wreckage of the Titanic sank in about 4,000 meters of water. Kilimanjaro The highest peak is 5896 meters above sea level, while the world's highest permanent settlement, La Rinconada (La Rinconada) in the Peruvian Andes, is 5100 meters.
Nandu reporter Shi Minglei
