A wreck once known as the mysterious “Ghost Ship of the Pacific,” which fought on both sides of the Pacific theater during World War II, has been discovered off the coast of California in “exceptional” condition.
The remains of the 100-year-old Navy destroyer USS Stewart were discovered about 3,500 feet under the sea in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, about 80 miles from San Francisco, researchers said. Announced in a press release this week.
The Stewart was intentionally destroyed during a military exercise in 1946. Three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) deployed by marine robotics company Ocean Infinity finally discovered the wreckage in August, 78 years later.
The AUV spotted the luxurious vessel within 37 square nautical miles of the ocean floor.
“We covered it very quickly and in high resolution.” Andy SherrellDirector of Marine Operations, Ocean Infinity; told the New York Times.
The ship was laid down in Philadelphia in September 1919, just months before the end of World War I, and commissioned in 1920.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Stewart was stationed in Manila, Philippines, along with other older and poorly equipped ships of the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Fleet.
The ship was damaged by gunfire during a battle with the Japanese near Bali in February 1942, and was stranded in a dry dock on Java due to a “freak accident.” The crew decides to sink the ship as the Japanese military prepares to invade the island.
The Imperial Japanese Navy salvaged the ship and renamed it Patrol Boat No. 102.
Soon, distant sightings of the Stewart sparked rumors of an American “ghost ship” operating behind enemy lines. It was nicknamed the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific.”
This mystery remained unsolved until the end of the war, when Americans discovered the battered Stewart floating in Kure, Japan. Researchers say the ship was commissioned in a ceremony and towed to San Francisco, where it was given a violent “funeral at sea.”
The Stewart sank for two hours under a barrage of rocket fire and naval gunfire, then slipped beneath the waves and was lost for nearly 80 years.
This year's joint effort includes Ocean Infinity, archeology company Search, and non-profit organization Aviation/Maritime Heritage Foundationthe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Heritage Program and the U.S. Navy led to the rediscovery.
The ship was found in incredible condition. The hull remains mostly intact, with the hull sitting upright on the seating floor.
“The USS Stewart is a unique opportunity to study a well-preserved example of early 20th century destroyer design,” says marine archaeologist. james delgadosaid a senior vice president at Saatchi in a statement.
“The story, from the U.S. Navy's mission to the Japanese occupation and back again, is a powerful symbol of the complexity of the Pacific War,” he said.
High-resolution images from the ocean floor help NOAA monitor how marine life in the area has been affected and changes in the ecosystem.
Data from the Stewart shipwreck will be turned over to Naval Heritage Command to assist with future site management.
