The U.S. Lost a Destroyer in World War II. Almost 80 Years Later, Underwater Drones Found It at the Bottom of the Pacific Ocean

Shipwreck stories are often fascinating. Although humans control much of the land on the surface, the ocean floor is still largely unknown. That’s why researchers have developed various projects to map this area and better understand the planet, find new species of animals and plants, and study the feasibility of offshore renewable energy projects. From time to time, while traveling through the depths of the ocean, explorers find ships from centuries past filled with treasures (some of which brought disputes long forgotten back to the surface).

A few days ago, underwater drones rediscovered the USS Stewart, a vessel from World War II that had been lost for nearly 80 years.

They came looking for copper and found gold. According to The New York Times, it all began a few weeks ago. On Aug. 1, a ship about 70 miles off the coast of San Francisco threw three robots into the sea. Each was 20 feet long, torpedo-shaped, and owned by Ocean Infinity, a marine exploration company.

These underwater drones were on a mission to scan nearly 50 square miles of the ocean floor daily to find optimal sites for offshore wind farms. They also sought places to build oil rigs, map routes for undersea pipelines and cables, and fill gaps in underwater maps. But the robots found something else: the wreckage of a warship.

USS Stewart. Drone radars found the treasure. At a depth of about 3,500 feet, Ocean Infinity’s robots spotted the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific,” the only U.S. destroyer captured by the Japanese during World War II. The destroyer’s history is curious. Japan attacked the U.S. in December 1941, opening another front in the war that ended with the famous bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

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The U.S. sent the USS Stewart, a destroyer with overwhelming firepower and a length of 314 feet, to Indonesia, where the Japanese were advancing. It was damaged, and although the Navy tried to repair it, it detonated explosives to sink the vessel.

The USS Stewart when the Navy sank it during target practice in 1946.

Patrol Boat No. 102. The USS Stewart was underwater for several months until February 1943. The Japanese knew where the vessel was and the importance of the weapon, so they floated it out of the water and put it in a dry dock for repairs. Japan returned it to service and renamed it Patrol Boat No. 102.

Although Patrol Boat No. 102 didn’t engage in combat with U.S. ships, the Navy spotted it patrolling Japanese waters. Imagine their surprise when they saw it. However, Japan lost the war and abandoned the ship. In 1945, the Navy found it in a harbor. Then, they took it home, but one of the engines failed. The ship’s last service was as a target for shooting practice in San Francisco. It rested there for nearly 80 years.

Secondary objective. The Navy didn’t record the wreck’s exact location at the time, but people have been looking for ways to find it over the years. When Russ Matthews, president of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, heard Ocean Infinity would explore the area, he thought: Why not take advantage of the opportunity to look for the vessel?

So, with permission from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Infinity’s drones dove into the area and found a wreck in a matter of hours. Finding it would have taken weeks with other resources.

This wasn’t the first time. After the sighting, Ocean Infinity’s drones continued their work. Now, with the location of the USS Stewart, the company launched another group of robots three days after to photograph the wreck. The vessel is in perfect condition (except for the flora and fauna that has grown up around it) and is sitting upright on the ocean floor. Ocean Infinity obtained a lot of data, bringing the destroyer’s story to a close.

This marine exploration company has been involved in similar tasks. In 2020, it helped find the wreckage of the USS Nevada (one of the most veteran of U.S. ships, having participated in both World Wars, including the attack on Pearl Harbor). It also helped rediscover the Endurance (an Australian icebreaker) in 2022.

Images | Ocean Infinity via The New York Times

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