World War II destroyer USS Samuel B Roberts found sunk in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 6.9 km
The American destroyer USS Samuel B Roberts, sunk nearly 78 years ago, has been discovered in the Philippine Sea (part of the Pacific Ocean).
What we know
The ship was discovered by American explorer Victor Vescovo. The Texas resident used a scuba diving vehicle to make a deep dive. During the examination of the USS Samuel B Roberts, it was found that the battleship had split in two. However, the gun turrets and part of the deck survived.
On June 18, pilot Tim Macdonald (L) and sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet (R), onboard the submersible Limiting Factor, located a torpedo rack undeniably from the USS Samuel B Roberts (DE 413): "The Destroyer Escort that fought like a battleship "during the Battle off Samar, 1944. pic.twitter.com/crwGrSQ6ut
— Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) June 23, 2022
USS Samuel B Roberts went to the bottom in the fall of 1944 during the Second World War in the battle with the Japanese in the Philippine Sea. Only 120 of the 209 crew members survived. The ship was found at a depth of 6895 m, deeper than any shipwreck in history.
Part of the dive on the Sammy B. It appears her bow hit the seafloor with some force, causing some buckling. Her stern also separated about 5 meters on impact, but the whole wreck was together. This small ship took on the finest of the Japanese Navy, fighting them to the end. pic.twitter.com/fvi6uB0xUQ
— Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) June 24, 2022
Note that this is not the first such discovery by Viktor Veskovo. In 2021, he managed to find a destroyer USS Johnston at a depth of 6460 m. It is possible that there are other ships that have crashed and are now lying on the bottom of the oceans.
Source: BBC
