A newly discovered ship could help maritime archaeologists better understand how 20th-century warships were built. Searchers have discovered the wreck of the only warship that fought alongside both the United States and their enemy Japan during World War II.

The wreckage of the destroyer USS Stewart was found in early August at a depth of about 3,500 feet (1,065 meters) in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, about 50 miles northwest of San Francisco.

It was sunk there in 1946, during fire from missiles fired from American warplanes and bullets fired from an American warship. But its exact location remained unknown until it was discovered by three autonomous underwater vehicles (UAVs) deployed by marine robotics company Ocean Infinity.

According to The New York Times, the submarines explored 37 square nautical miles (49 square miles or 127 square kilometers) of seafloor in less than 24 hours.

“We surveyed it very quickly and at high resolution,” Andy Sherrell, Ocean Infinity’s director of marine operations, told the newspaper.

on both sides

Stewart entered the war as an American destroyer designated DD-224 and was deployed to Borneo in November 1941, shortly before the United States entered World War II. She served as an escort ship with other American warships in the early months of the Pacific War, but was severely damaged by fire from Japanese warships near Bali during the Battle of Badung Strait in February 1942.

“Stuart” managed to return to Surabaya on the island of Java. However, the port was attacked by the Japanese, so the ship was deliberately sunk by its own crew, who detonated explosives in its hull. However, a year later the sunken battleship was salvaged by the Japanese and served as a patrol ship for the Imperial Japanese Navy until the end of the war in 1945.

When Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945, the ship returned to US control. The ship was briefly recommissioned as a US Navy DD-224, but by then was in poor condition. It was finally decommissioned in May 1946 and was subsequently used for target shooting.

ghost ship

According to the statement by the archaeological company Search, which was involved in the findings, Stewart was known as the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific” and was taken by American pilots during World War II. It was seen behind enemy lines during World War II. Other participants include the nonprofit Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Heritage Program, and the U.S. Navy.

The mystery was solved only after the end of the war, when the ship was found floating in the Japanese port city of Kure, near Hiroshima. According to the statement, the ship, which is in excellent condition after spending nearly 80 years under water, will provide an insight into the naval architecture and technology of the early 20th century.

“USS Stewart provides a unique opportunity to study a well-preserved example of early 20th-century destroyer design,” marine archaeologist James Delgado, formerly of NOAA and currently senior vice president for Search, said in a statement. he said.

“Its history, from its service in the U.S. Navy to its capture by the Japanese, makes it a powerful symbol of the complexity of the Pacific War,” he said.