World War II ship unearthed off Philippines
The Montevideo Maru was sunk in 1942 by an American submarine, unaware to its crew that it was transporting Allied prisoners of war.
Specifically, the discovery came after 12 days of research using an underwater drone equipped with sonar.
AFP/Silentworld Foundation
After eight decades of mystery, the discovery: the wreckage of a Japanese ship torpedoed during World War II with more than 1,000 people on board, most of them Australian prisoners, has been found off the coast of the Philippines.
The Montevideo Maru was found on April 18 in the South China Sea at a depth of more than 4,000 meters, 110 km off the Philippine island of Luzon, the SilentWorld Foundation – an archeological society under the Marine – announced on Saturday. Specifically, the discovery came after 12 days of research using an underwater drone equipped with sonar.
The sinking is one of the worst maritime tragedies in Australian history.
The Montevideo Maru, a mixed cargo ship, was sunk on July 1, 1942 by the American submarine USS Sturgeon, unaware that its crew was transporting prisoners to the Japanese-occupied Chinese island of Hainan.
“We believe it was hit by two torpedoes. The first sank it and the second blew off part of the accommodation,” Captain Roger Turner, the expedition’s technical director, told AFP by telephone.
The ship split into two parts, the bow and stern lying about 500 meters apart on the seabed, he said.
According to the Silentworld Foundation, it took more than five years to plan the mission to find the ship. The search operation began on April 6.
AFP/Silentworld Foundation
According to the SilentWorld Foundation, about 1,060 people from 14 nationalities, including at least 850 soldiers, died during the Battle of Rabaul, New Guinea, including 979 Australians captured.
According to the Silentworld Foundation, it took more than five years to plan the mission to find the ship. The search operation began on April 6.
“The resting place of the lost souls of the Montevideo Maru has finally been found,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded in a statement posted on social media.
“We hope today’s news brings comfort to the loved ones who have waited so long,” he added.
“A Terrible Chapter in History”
The Silentworld Foundation says the Montevideo Maru’s wrecks, which lie deeper than the Titanic, are undisturbed. Out of respect for the families of the victims, no material or human remains will be removed.
“The discovery of the Montevideo Maru closes a terrible chapter in Australia’s military and maritime history,” said John Mullen, director of Silent World, which conducted the research with Fugro, a Dutch company specializing in deep-sea exploration. .
“Families waited years to hear from their missing loved ones before learning the tragic consequences of the sinking,” he said. “Some don’t fully accept that their loved ones are among the victims.”
The Silentworld Foundation says the Montevideo Maru’s wrecks, which lie deeper than the Titanic, are undisturbed.
AFP/Silentworld Foundation
Andrea Williams was on a mission to find the wreckage. His grandfather and his great-grandmother, prisoners of war, were on the boat and died there.
He said it was an “extraordinarily important day” for Australians affected directly or indirectly by the disaster.
“It was very stressful, but it was a great honor to be able to find the wreckage,” he told AFP, promising that the news would be “a great comfort” to the relatives of the victims.
The discovery of the wreckage ended 81 years of uncertainty for relatives of the victims, hailed the head of the Australian army, General Simon Stuart.
“Such loss spans decades and reminds us of the human cost of conflict,” he said.
Among the other dead aboard the Montevideo Maru were 33 sailors from the Norwegian cargo ship Herstein — captured by the Japanese at Rapalle — and about 20 Japanese guards and crew members, the SilentWorld Foundation said.
According to the same source, nationals of several other countries were also affected by the sinking: the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Sweden and the United States.
AFP
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