World’s deepest shipwreck is FOUND: WWII US Navy destroyer that went down in the Battle off Samar in the Pacific 77 years ago is discovered over 22,600 feet below the surface
- The world’s deepest shipwreck has been found more than 4 miles below the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Philippines
- The USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), known as the Sammy B, was located on Wednesday in the Philippine Sea
- It sank during the Battle Off Samar in the Philippine Sea in October 1944
More than 22,600 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean lies a WWII US Navy destroyer that has been named the world’s deepest shipwreck.
The USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), known as the Sammy B, was located on Wednesday in the Philippine Sea.
The vessel went down during the Battle Off Samar in the Philippine Sea in October 1944 after it was hit by Japanese fire.
The Sammy B, however, was not discovered by scientists, but by Texas billionaire Victor Vescovo, who owns a deep-diving submersible.
On October 15, the Japanese did one last hail Mary to engage Allied navy forces off the coast of the Philippines, which were on their way west and away from the enemy fire line
The Sammy B, however, was one of the last remaining US ships, and is known for its heroic stand against the Japanese, according to BBC.
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More than 22,600 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean lies a WWII US Navy destroyer that has been named the world’s deepest shipwreck
The ship was outnumbered against the Japanese fleet, but held its own until shells punctured through its walls and it began to sink.
There were 224 men aboard the Sammy, but 89 were killed when it sank and the rest floated in life rafts for 50 hours before being rescued.
Vescovo shared a video on his Twitter account showing Sammy B laying on the seafloor.
‘It appears her bow hit the seafloor with some force, causing some buckling,’ he shared in a tweet.
The USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), known as the Sammy B, was located on Wednesday in the Philippine Sea
The ship was outnumbered against the Japanese fleet, but held its own until shells punctured through its walls and it began to sink. Pictured is the Sammy B before it sank
‘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.’
Vescovo, the founder exploration company Caladan Oceanic, performed six dives before finding the Sammy B.
He and his team found the sunken vessel by first spotting debris, which was a three-torpedo launcher that was only unique to the Sammy B.
The Sammy B, however, was not discovered by scientists, but by Texas billionaire Victor Vescovo, who owns a deep-diving submersible
Vescovo, the founder exploration company Caladan Oceanic, performed six dives before finding the Sammy B
‘The Sammy B is a small vessel as military ships go, and we weren’t really sure that we could find her in the vast and extremely deep ocean where she went down,’ Vescovo told CNN.
‘But with perseverance, some great historical analysis, and a whole lot of deep ocean technology and hard work, we were able to find her and provide a great opportunity to tell her amazing story.’
The Sammy was the first ship named after coxswain Samuel Booker Roberts Jr, who enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and fought in WWII.
Roberts volunteered to help land several hundred Marines a few miles north of Lunga Point, where the US had hoped to take over a Japanese strongpoint.
He and his team found the sunken vessel by first spotting debris, which was a three-torpedo launcher that was only unique to the Sammy B, which was named after coxswain Samuel Booker Roberts Jr (right), who enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and fought in WWII
The Marines piled into a dozen of the wooden boats and headed up to a beach near the Matanikau River, but were forced to flee just a few days later when they met resistance.
Roberts, however, was hit in the neck with a bullet from a Japanese machine gun bullet and died over the night.
Roberts received the Navy Cross, but the greatest honor was having three Navy ships named after him: DE 413; DD 823, a destroyer that took part in the first air strikes from a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier; and USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58), the frigate that hit a mine during 1988’s Operation Earnest Will.
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