US Navy ship sunk nearly 80 years ago reached in world's deepest shipwreck dive

[turbinetree]

Destroyer resting nearly 6.5km below sea level still has gun turrets and torpedo racks in place

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A US navy destroyer sunk during the second world war and lying nearly 6,500 metres below sea level off the Philippines has been reached in the world’s deepest shipwreck dive, an American exploration team said.

A crewed submersible filmed, photographed and surveyed the wreckage of the USS Johnston off Samar Island during two eight-hour dives completed late last month, Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic said.

The 115-metre-long ship was sunk on 25 October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf as US forces fought to liberate the Philippines – then a US colony – from Japanese occupation.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/04/us-navy-ship-sunk-nearly-80-years-ago-reached-in-worlds-deepest-shipwreck-dive




That is a little over 4 miles down or 21,120 feet down

And as side note the commander was Cmdr. Ernest Evans, a Native American from Oklahoma a Native American and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the first Native American in the US Navy

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uss-johnston-worlds-deepest-shipwreck-intl-hnk/index.html

[Mister Ed]

1. That small destroyer waged a heroic, David-vs-Goliath battle against Japan's mightiest warships.

A Japanese decoy operation had successfully lured the bulk of the U.S. naval forces far away to the northeast, leaving thousands and thousands of U.S. troops on the beaches vulnerable to the big guns of the Japanese battleships that were coming to surprise and bombard them.

All that stood between those troops and annihilation was a small group of much lighter U.S. ships.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar

The Battle off Samar has been cited by historians as one of the greatest last stands in naval history; ultimately the Americans prevailed over a massive armada – the Japanese Imperial Navy's Center Force under command of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita – despite their very heavy losses and overwhelming odds.

As he took U.S.S. Johnston into action, Cmdr. Evans addressed his crew, declaring that they would likely have to sacrifice all today in order to save the many lives that depended on them. The small U.S. ships attacked with such ferocity that the Japanese commanders believed they were facing a much larger and heavier force. Ultimately, they were turned back.

Cmdr. Evans and U.S.S. Johnston pressed their attack most fiercely of all, and kept on fighting despite taking a crippling battering.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar#USS_Johnston

Johnston sank... with 186 of her crew. Evans abandoned ship with his crew but was never seen again. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. However, it was the Japanese themselves who first recognized Johnston's incredible actions that day. As the Japanese destroyer Yukikaze cruised slowly nearby, Robert Billie and several other crewmen watched as her captain saluted the sinking Johnston.

[Irish_Dem]

3. They never stood a chance. Fierce fighting against all odds.

[hardluck]

2. Some videos for history buffs

[Irish_Dem]

4. I started to tear up when I saw this post, was hoping it would be the USS Meredith.

Similar circumstances off the Solomon Islands during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Very dangerous waters, fierce fighting against the Japanese. The Navy made a memorial for the men in the Philippines.

My uncle was on the Meredith when it went down.

[machoneman]

5. One cannot find any Navy ship captain in WWII with more valor under fire than Commander Evans.

A hero in any theater of war. Worth a read in any historical book or media. His crew performed valiantly in the face of over-whelming odds, knowing they would not survive, but they followed their leader to the very end. An amazing story of heroism under fire.

[Captain_New_York]

6. Great book on the battle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Stand_of_the_Tin_Can_Sailors