Latest news with #RaizoTanaka
CBS News
17 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Japanese WWII destroyer torpedoed by U.S. boats discovered on Pacific seafloor — still armed with munitions
A famed Japanese destroyer sunk by U.S. torpedoes during a pivotal battle in World War II has been discovered on the floor of the Pacific Ocean more than 80 years after it sank, an exploration team has revealed. The warship was found still armed with unused depth charges, according to the explorers. The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki was located by a remotely operated vehicle more than 2,600 feet below the ocean's surface near the Solomon Islands, the Ocean Exploration Trust announced on Saturday. "Lying on the seabed at over 800 meters in the Solomon Islands, this is the first time anyone has laid eyes on Teruzuki since it was sunk in WWII's naval battles off Guadalcanal," said the trust, which released images and video of the wreck. Teruzuki (which translates to "Shiny Moon" in Japanese) was under the command of Rear Admiral Raizou Tanaka. The legendary naval leader earned the moniker "Tenacious Tanaka" among U.S. forces for leading dangerous attacks and so-called "Tokyo Express" supply missions during the middle of the night. Weeks before descending to its watery grave, the Teruzuki used its state-of-the-art weaponry to great effect. In November 1942, the 400-foot-long Akizuki-class destroyer used its rapid-fire 100mm guns to help sink two U.S. destroyers, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. The Teruzuki's torpedoes also severely damaged two other U.S. battleships. But on December 12, 1942, the Teruzuki was targeted by American PT boats as it tried to protect a convoy of supply ships on Guadalcanal's northern coast, according to historians. The Teruzuki was hit by two U.S. torpedoes, breaking its rudder and disabling the ship. Most of the crew were rescued or swam ashore, but nine men died as the Teruzuki plunged to the bottom of the ocean. A remotely operated camera launched by the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus brought the first glimpse of the ship since that day when it spotted the wreck on July 10, the trust said. The massive warship had been severed, with its stern and hull 650 feet apart on the seafloor — but its munitions were still intact. An eerie video released by the trust shows the stern armed with multiple depth charges. One scientist can be heard on the video saying that an expert warned the team to be "extra careful as some Japanese ordnance at this time of the war had a reputation for being really sensitive." The team also noted that the ship was found with its forward artillery turrets pointing skyward. "When the exploration team found a 19-meter-long severed segment of Teruzuki's stern littered with depth charges, it disproved a long-held theory that it was depth charge explosions that sealed the ship's fate," the trust said in a separate news release. Ship located in Iron Bottom Sound Iron Bottom Sound in the Solomon Islands was the site of five pivotal naval battles between August and December 1942. Located about 600 northeast of Australia, the Solomon Islands became coveted territory for both Japan and the Allied Forces during World War II. The tiny island of Guadalcanal was key because of its airfield and its location, which offered command over shipping lanes in the region. "Recognizing this island and airfield's strategic value, both sides would soon commit substantial naval and air resources to control the island, the airfield, and its surrounding waters," the Ocean Exploration Trust said. Dozens of warships were sunk in Iron Bottom Sound, and the Teruzuki is just the latest to be discovered. Earlier this month, the same researchers found the severed bow of the American warship USS New Orleans during seafloor mapping operations in the area. In addition to the Teruzuki, at least six Japanese warships were lost off Guadalcanal between August and December 1942, according to the trust, and at least 10 Allies ships were lost during the same period. One of the American vessels lost in the area ws the USS Laffey, a Benson-class destroyer that survived a major battle in October 1942 but was sunk in Guadalcanal on November 12, 1942. One of the ships that sank USS Laffey was in fact the Teruzuki, which had only seen combat for a few months until its demise. The designs and details of Japanese naval ships were cloaked in secrecy during World War II. There are no historical images of the Teruzuki, making the new discovery especially revealing, the trust said. "I feel so lucky to see this ship. The fact that we have not seen Teruzuki in over 80 years underscores the importance of recording maritime heritage now," said Hiroshi Ishii, a Nautilus science team member and researcher at Kyoto University. "As a Japanese person, I appreciate the opportunity to witness part of our history and to be part of an international team shedding light on this campaign, which is important to all of our nations' history." In 2023, the wreckage of a Japanese ship that was torpedoed during World War II off the coast of the Philippines was found. The ship was carrying Allied prisoners of war, most of them Australians, when it sank in 1942. All 1,080 people aboard perished. Shipwreck World War II Japan
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Surprising WWII shipwreck linked to famous David-vs-Goliath sea battle is found
A famed Japanese destroyer lost in 1942 has been found severed on the South Pacific seafloor — the result of a fantastic David-vs.-Goliath sea battle that remains the stuff of legend for the U.S. Navy. The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki was discovered July 10, at a depth of 2,624 feet in the Solomon Islands, the Ocean Exploration Trust reported in a July 12 news release. Among the revelations made by a remotely operated camera: the 440-foot-long ship was split, with its stern hitting the seafloor 656 feet away from the hull, the trust noted. And even after 83 years, the wreck remains armed with highly volatile munitions, scientists noted. 'When the exploration team found a 19-meter-long (62-feet) severed segment of Teruzuki's stern littered with depth charges, it disproved a long-held theory that it was depth charge explosions that sealed the ship's fate,' the trust said in its release. The ship's forward artillery turrets remain pointing skyward, which proved to be the wrong direction, historians say. To slay a giant The Teruzuki was massive, stretching nearly 100 feet longer than a football field, yet its demise was dealt Dec. 12, 1942, by two U.S. Navy PT boats that were scarcely 77 feet long, historians say. A retelling of the sinking by the U.S. Naval Institute notes the PT-boats were firing their torpedoes at 'shadows in the murk,' and only later realized it was the flagship of Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka — known to historians as 'Tenacious Tanaka' due to 'his courage in leading nighttime attacks.' 'They heard a tremendous roar as thousands of pounds of water soared skyward,' the institute reports. 'One of their torpedoes had struck home near the aft of the ship, immediately rendering the Teruzuki unnavigable and throwing Tanaka himself unconscious to the deck. ... The whole scene (was) bathed in an orange glow as leaking fuel on the Teruzuki ignited, illuminating the crippled Japanese ship for miles.' The fire eventually reached powder magazines and the Teruzuki 'buckled under a massive explosion' and sank around 4:40 a.m., the institute says. Most of the crew was rescued by nearby Japanese ships. Historians credit the sinking to PT-37 and PT-40, which escaped before nearby Japanese ships could return fire. 'In just a few minutes' time, they had felled the single largest warship sunk by any PT boat during the war,' the institute reports. Finding history The location of Teruzuki was discovered by coincidence, when an uncrewed seafloor mapping vessel spotted evidence of something the size of a ship, the trust says. Scientists sent a remotely operated vehicle to investigate and found a 'never-before-seen ship' that was heavily damaged and deteriorating. It was identified with the help of a Japanese researcher on the team, Hiroshi Ishii, of the Center for Southeast Asian Area Studies at Kyoto University in Japan. Video recorded at the wreck is helping WWII historians rewrite the ship's final hours, the trust says. 'Japanese naval vessel plans were kept highly secret during the war, so much so that no historical images of Teruzuki exist today,' the researchers said. 'This survey is the first ever look at the vessel for this generation.' The find was made as part of a 21-day expedition in the Iron Bottom Sound that is documenting known WWII wrecks and investigating sites that are suspected to be undiscovered military boats and planes. Teruzuki is the 12th wreck to be explored during the expedition, which is broadcasting its dives live via Five major naval battles were staged in the Iron Bottom Sound region in late 1942, resulting 'in the loss of over 20,000 lives, 111 naval vessels, and 1,450 planes,' the trust says. 'To date, fewer than 100 of these US, Japanese, Australian, and New Zealand military ships and planes have been located,' trust officials said.
