Latest news with #IronBottomSound
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
New ocean expedition captures images of 13 WWII shipwrecks from major naval battles
A new ocean expedition in the South Pacific has revealed striking new images of more than a dozen ships sunk during key World War II battles. Researchers on the Ocean Exploration Trust vessel Nautilus conducted an archaeological survey of 13 shipwrecks from the Solomon Islands campaign, one of the war's fiercest naval confrontations. Using advanced remotely operated vehicles equipped with high-definition cameras and submersible drones, they also rediscovered two long-lost vessels, the USS New Orleans and the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki. While some of the wrecks were first located over 30 years ago, the latest expedition allowed for a far more detailed and comprehensive survey, thanks to cutting-edge imaging technology, researchers said. 'This expedition was special, allowing us to film these sites in a manner not possible back then, as well as document other ships, while at the same time sharing our work live to the entire world,' Ocean Exploration Trust president Robert Ballard said in a statement. The wreck site, known as Iron Bottom Sound, lies in the Solomon Islands between Guadalcanal, Savo, and Nggela islands. Between August and December 1942, Iron Bottom Sound was the site of five major naval battles during the Second World War, resulting in the loss of more than 20,000 lives, 111 naval vessels, and 1,450 aircraft. Dozens of shipwrecks lie on the seafloor at this site, just off the coast of Honiara, within a relatively compact area measuring less than 25 nautical miles wide, 40 nautical miles long, and up to 1,400 metres deep. But fewer than 100 of these American, Japanese, Australian, and New Zealand military ships and planes have been located to date. 'This survey of the ships of the United States, Australia, and Japan will add immeasurably to the understanding of one of the costliest naval campaigns in history, a campaign that hopefully will never be repeated,' said Samuel J Cox, Naval History and Heritage Command director. In the latest survey, researchers mapped more than 386 square miles of seafloor using the uncrewed surface vehicle DriX, operated by the University of New Hampshire. The crew spent nearly 140 hours exploring various wrecks using ROVs, some located more than 3,280 feet beneath the ocean's surface. For the first time, researchers took pictures of the bow that was blown off the World War II heavy cruiser USS New Orleans. The USS New Orleans was struck by a Japanese 'Long Lance' torpedo during the November 1942 Battle of Tassafaronga, off the coast of Guadalcanal. The powerful explosion sheared off nearly a third of the ship, including its entire bow, and claimed the lives of more than 180 crew members. 'The use of our uncrewed vessel allowed a tremendous increase in exploration efficiency as we were able to continuously map and identify potential targets while the Nautilus was deploying its ROVs,' said Larry Mayer, director of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire. 'This technological achievement, combined with the tremendous historical significance of our discoveries, made this one of the most rewarding missions I have ever participated in.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
New ocean expedition captures images of 13 WWII shipwrecks from major naval battles
A new ocean expedition in the South Pacific has revealed striking new images of more than a dozen ships sunk during key World War II battles. Researchers on the Ocean Exploration Trust vessel Nautilus conducted an archaeological survey of 13 shipwrecks from the Solomon Islands campaign, one of the war's fiercest naval confrontations. Using advanced remotely operated vehicles equipped with high-definition cameras and submersible drones, they also rediscovered two long-lost vessels, the USS New Orleans and the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki. While some of the wrecks were first located over 30 years ago, the latest expedition allowed for a far more detailed and comprehensive survey, thanks to cutting-edge imaging technology, researchers said. 'This expedition was special, allowing us to film these sites in a manner not possible back then, as well as document other ships, while at the same time sharing our work live to the entire world,' Ocean Exploration Trust president Robert Ballard said in a statement. The wreck site, known as Iron Bottom Sound, lies in the Solomon Islands between Guadalcanal, Savo, and Nggela islands. Between August and December 1942, Iron Bottom Sound was the site of five major naval battles during the Second World War, resulting in the loss of more than 20,000 lives, 111 naval vessels, and 1,450 aircraft. Dozens of shipwrecks lie on the seafloor at this site, just off the coast of Honiara, within a relatively compact area measuring less than 25 nautical miles wide, 40 nautical miles long, and up to 1,400 metres deep. But fewer than 100 of these American, Japanese, Australian, and New Zealand military ships and planes have been located to date. 'This survey of the ships of the United States, Australia, and Japan will add immeasurably to the understanding of one of the costliest naval campaigns in history, a campaign that hopefully will never be repeated,' said Samuel J Cox, Naval History and Heritage Command director. In the latest survey, researchers mapped more than 386 square miles of seafloor using the uncrewed surface vehicle DriX, operated by the University of New Hampshire. The crew spent nearly 140 hours exploring various wrecks using ROVs, some located more than 3,280 feet beneath the ocean's surface. For the first time, researchers took pictures of the bow that was blown off the World War II heavy cruiser USS New Orleans. The USS New Orleans was struck by a Japanese 'Long Lance' torpedo during the November 1942 Battle of Tassafaronga, off the coast of Guadalcanal. The powerful explosion sheared off nearly a third of the ship, including its entire bow, and claimed the lives of more than 180 crew members. 'The use of our uncrewed vessel allowed a tremendous increase in exploration efficiency as we were able to continuously map and identify potential targets while the Nautilus was deploying its ROVs,' said Larry Mayer, director of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire. 'This technological achievement, combined with the tremendous historical significance of our discoveries, made this one of the most rewarding missions I have ever participated in.'
CBS News
22-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Explorers find torpedoes, bell from U.S. destroyer that sank with 167 crew on board during WWII
Explorers on a quest to study a famed wartime shipwreck site have discovered new artifacts from one lost American destroyer. The USS DeHaven, which was sunk during an attack off the Solomon Islands in World War II, still has torpedoes and a bell that are still largely intact, according to the Ocean Exploration Trust, a nonprofit that recently surveyed and filmed the wreckage with remotely operated vehicles. The DeHaven went down in February 1943, after operating out of Guadalcanal throughout the U.S. military campaign there, according to the Destroyer History Foundation. The ship was bombed multiple times and eventually sank, with 167 crew members on board, near Iron Bottom Sound, a section of the ocean near the Solomon Islands known for its WWII-era shipwrecks. The Ocean Exploration Trust set out to learn more about the maritime history of Guadalcanal and Iron Bottom Sound — the site of five pivotal naval battles between August and December 1942. The team used a sonar device to locate wreckage from the surface of the sea before dispatching a pair of remotely operated vehicles down to the seabed. Those ROVs were able to capture high-resolution footage of what remains of the DeHaven, more than 80 years after it plunged to the ocean floor. Video of the expedition has now been published online. During their mission, explorers identified a number of relics among the wreckage of the DeHaven, including propellers, artillery and torpedo mounts, and multiple torpedo warheads, the organization said. They also spotted the ship's bell with help from viewers watching a livestream of the deep-sea initiative, which the organization called "a very unique sighting." Team leaders said the data gathered from the project can provide important frameworks for historians, as well as resource managers of heritage areas "to understand this site's history and future." The Ocean Exploration Trust partnered with NOAA Ocean Exploration, the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, the Solomon Islands Government and a number of archaeological centers at universities around the world to help carry out the expedition. The Ocean Exploration Trust has explored the wreckage of World War II warships in the Solomon Islands before. Its teams recently discovered a famed Japanese destroyer sunk by U.S. torpedoes as well as the severed bow of another well-known American warship called the USS New Orleans, which also sank in the Iron Bottom Sound.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
WWII Japanese Navy destroyer found 83 years after it sank
A Japanese navy destroyer torpedoed during a crucial Second World War battle has finally been discovered on the Pacific Ocean floor 80 years after it sank. The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki sank in 1942 while transporting supplies to soldiers in the Solomon Islands. Measuring over 134m (440ft) long, Teruzuki was the Imperial Japanese Navy 's second Akizuki-class destroyer built with air-search radar. Such ships mainly acted as escorts with anti-aircraft screening abilities for main battle ships. Teruzuki was sunk in December 1942 by US torpedoes while transporting food for soldiers in Guadalcanal, also called 'Gato' or the island of starvation. After it was hit by torpedoes, a detonation broke the rudder and one propeller shaft, disabling the ship. Then a ruptured oil tank caught on fire, setting ablaze ammunition and causing an explosion. Nearly 350 crew members survived, most rescued by other nearby Japanese destroyers, but 10 died. Since Imperial Japan 's naval vessel plans were a tightly held secret, there are no historical images of Teruzuki and the latest survey is the first ever to get a glimpse of the vessel for this generation. A US marine research team has finally found Teruzuki's wreck in a sea area known as the Iron Bottom Sound, which was the stage of five major naval battles between August and December 1942 that led to the loss of over 20,000 lives, 111 naval vessels, and 1,450 planes. However, fewer than 100 of these US, Japanese, Australian, and New Zealand military ships and planes have been located in this marine location of an area less than 25 nautical miles wide, 40 nautical miles long, and 1,400 meters deep. "Iron Bottom Sound was the scene of five ferocious major night surface battles, resulting in the loss of dozens of ships and thousands of men. Both sides showed extreme courage and tenacity, although in the end the U.S. Navy and allies prevailed, at enormous cost,' said Samuel J. Cox, a retired US Navy rear admiral. Two Akizuki-class destroyers were known to have sunk in the Solomon Islands during WWII. Since the other one was already discovered, researchers concluded the latest finding was Teruzuki 's wreck. Earlier this month, a team of US and Japanese marine researchers conducted the first visual scan of the destroyer since it sank. 'This is the first time anyone has laid eyes on Teruzuki since it was sunk in WWII's battles off Guadalcanal, with surveyed details rewriting the ship's final hours,' researchers wrote. The marine scientists found that Teruzuki's bow had collapsed to one side, and most of her superstructure had fallen off to one side. Several features of the sunken ship match testimonies of former crew members who survived its sinking. The numbers and positions of gun turrets on the wrecked remains were also found to be the same as on Teruzuki.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
USS New Orleans bow found 83 years after it was blown off in WWII
A team of researchers have located the final resting place of the bow of a US Navy ship that was nearly destroyed during World War II . The bow of the USS New Orleans was blown off by a Japanese torpedo in a 1942 battle that resulted in an Axis victory. Nearly 83 years later, scientists and explorers with the Ocean Exploration Trust found the forward section of the ship around 2,200 feet underwater in the Iron Bottom Sound, a body of water in the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands is an archipelago of hundreds of islands east of Papua New Guinea and northeast of Australia. Experts aboard the Nautilus exploration vessel voyaged into the Iron Bottom Sound, which is already home to over 100 World War II shipwrecks, and took high resolution images of the sunken bow. At that point they weren't certain of what they'd stumbled across, but after archaeologists worked to identify details of its paint, structure and anchor, they were eventually able to positively identify the bow as once belonging to the USS New Orleans. 'The wreck was located during seafloor mapping operations by an uncrewed surface vehicle, then investigated shortly thereafter by a deep-diving remotely operated vehicle,' Ocean Exploration Trust's Chief Scientist Daniel Wagner said in a statement. In the November 1942 naval engagement now known as the Battle of Tassafaronga, the US Navy and Japanese Imperial Navy faced off at nighttime. A fleet of nine ships, including the USS New Orleans, intercepted eight Japanese destroyers trying to deliver food to their forces on the nearby island of Guadalcanal. US cruisers fired first, but this exposed their position, which led to a bloody battle on both sides. However, the Japanese quickly gained the upper hand, sinking one US heavy cruiser and damaging three more. One of the three that were damaged was the USS New Orleans. It was hit by a 'Long Lance' torpedo, tearing off nearly a third of the ship and killing 183 sailors. Three US crew members would die because they valiantly stayed at their posts as the ship flooded and managed to stop it from sinking.
