Wreckage of ‘Pacific ghost ship’ discovered

The wreck of the destroyer USS Stewart was found in early August at a depth of about 1,065 m in the Cordell Bank Marine Protected Area, about 80 km northwest of San Francisco, Live Science reported on October 3. The ship was sunk in 1946 by missiles from fighter aircraft and the hull of an American warship. But its exact location was unknown until the wreck was rediscovered by three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) deployed by marine robotics company Ocean Infinity.

The AUVs searched a 127 square kilometer seabed area in less than 24 hours. “We scanned the area quickly and with high resolution,” said Andy Sherrell, Ocean Infinity’s director of marine operations.

The USS Stewart participated in the war as an American destroyer with the number DD-224 and was sent to Borneo in November 1941, shortly before the United States joined World War II. The ship served as an escort with other American warships during the first months of the Pacific War, but was severely damaged by fire from Japanese warships near Bali in February 1942, during the Battle of the Pacific War. Battle of the Badung Strait.

The USS Stewart returned to the city of Surabaya on the island of Java. But the port here was under attack by the Japanese, so the ship was intentionally sunk by the crew by placing explosives in the ship’s hull. However, a year later, the Japanese salvaged the warship and the ship served as a patrol ship for the Imperial Japanese Navy until the end of the war in 1945. The ship was once again under control. of America when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. USS Stewart was handed over to the US Navy for a short time but became quite shabby. Finally, the ship was decommissioned in May 1946 and used as a target practice.

The USS Stewart is nicknamed “The Ghost Ship of the Pacific”. In addition to Ocean Infinity, the units participating in the ship search are archaeological company Search, the Marine and Aviation Heritage Association, the Maritime Heritage program of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and US Navy. The mystery was only explained after the war ended, the ship was discovered floating in the port city of Kure near Hiroshima.

The wreck remains in good condition after nearly 80 years at sea, providing insight into early 20th century maritime architecture and technology.