Explorers have finally discovered the United States’ USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts in the Philippine Sea almost 80 years after being sunk.
According to the reports, the USS Destroyer is the world’s deepest shipwreck after it was discovered more than four miles beneath the ocean.
The ship has baffled hunters for decades after it sank to the depths of the water in the Western Pacific Ocean. However, Victor Vescovo who is popularly known as an eagle-eyed adventurer, has completed the completed expeditions to the world’s deepest points, and located the shipwreck on June 22.
Vescovo revealed that the vessel was found at a depth of 22,621 feet which is over 3,000ft taller than Mount Kilimanjaro’s peak and is now broken into two.
With a pilot and sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet, Vescovo dived down to trace the wreck six times in eight days. Following the tough days working hard to find the wreck, the team finally discovered the two halves of the ship which were positioned around 33 feet from one another.
Moreover, the possible location of the ship has also been recorded in previous data. However, the possibility had been inaccurate, prompting the team to go back to the drawing board.
After carrying out exhaustive research, the team armed themselves with a custom-built sidescan solar system, leading Vescovo and his army of experts to locate debris from the three-tube torpedo launcher of Sammy B which confirmed that it was close by.
The team then finally located has bagged the title of the world’s deepest shipwreck ever.
In a statement released by Vescovo he revealed that it “was an extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship, and by doing so have the chance to retell her story of heroism and duty to those who may not know of the ship and her crew’s sacrifice. Resting at 6,895 meters, it is now the deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed.”
“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.” He added.
Historical records revealed that the warship is “thought to have been taken out by a Japanese vessel during the Battle of Samar in 1944.” The New York Post noted.
In an interview with CNN, Vescovo said that “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. 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.”
“It is unbelievably thrilling to find a wreck on the bottom of the deep ocean, given all the difficulties in trying to find them. It is such an immense privilege to be the first person to see them after they went down in battle almost 80 years ago.” He added.
