military history
Wreck of ship sunk in World War II discovered
More than 80 years ago, the “Montevideo Maru” was sunk by an American submarine with more than 1000 people on board. photo
© —/AAP Image/Silentworld Foundation/dpa
More than 80 years ago, an American submarine sank the Japanese ship “Montevideo Maru” without knowing that there were prisoners of war on board. More than 1000 people died. Now deep-sea researchers have discovered the wreck.
Deep-sea researchers have located the previously lost wreckage of a Japanese ship sunk by a US submarine during World War II. “Found!” said the Australian organization Silentworld Foundation involved in the search over the weekend. The “Montevideo Maru” was discovered at a depth of around 4,000 meters off the Philippine coast.
The history of the transport ship is a particularly tragic one: More than 1000 people died, most of them Australians, when the “Montevideo Maru” was hit by torpedoes from the submarine “USS Sturgeon” on July 1, 1942. Among the victims were people from 14 nations. The crew of the submarine did not know that there were prisoners of war and civilians on the Japanese ship. It was not marked accordingly, wrote the “New York Times”.
The sinking of the “Montevideo Maru” is considered the “worst disaster in the history of Australian shipping,” said the Silentworld Foundation. On board were around 1,060 prisoners of war and civilians between the ages of 15 and 60 who had been captured by the Japanese a few months earlier when the city of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea fell. Around 980 Australians died in the sinking. For comparison: In this incident alone, almost twice as many Australians died as during the entire Vietnam War, the organization said.
The search for the wreck began on April 6 in the South China Sea and it was discovered twelve days later. State-of-the-art technology was used, including an autonomous underwater vehicle with sonar, the organization said. The mission was led by Australian and Dutch archaeology, history and deep sea survey specialists and supported by the Australian Ministry of Defence.
“The discovery of the Montevideo Maru closes a terrifying chapter in Australian military and naval history,” said John Mullen, director of the Silentworld Foundation in Sydney. Families have been waiting for news of their missing loved ones for years. “Today we hope that by finding the ship we can help the many families affected by this terrible disaster.”
The wreck of the “Montevideo Maru” lies deeper than that of the “Titanic”. It should not be touched, his organization said. “No artifacts or human remains will be removed. Out of respect for the families of the victims on board, the location is being recorded for research purposes.” The mission had been planned for almost five years.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on Twitter that the resting place “of the lost souls of the Montevideo Maru has finally been found”. He hopes the news will bring some comfort to the family.