The remains of the American warship Edsall, which sank during combat with the Japanese during World War II, have been discovered more than 80 years after being lost on the ocean floor, American and Australian officials announced Monday.
The final resting place of the Clemson-class destroyer USS Edsall was discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean late last year, according to the US Navy and Royal Australian Navy.
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, Chief of the Australian Navy, said: “In collaboration with the US Navy, the Royal Australian Navy will use advanced robotic and autonomous systems normally used for hydrographic surveying capabilities to locate the USS Edsall on the ocean floor. I did,” he said. In a statement.
The warship sank during an encounter with a Japanese battleship and dive bombers on March 1, 1942, three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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USS Edsall was a Clemson-class destroyer, 314 feet long and capable of 35 knots. (US Navy)
“Captain Joshua Nix and his crew fought valiantly, dodging 1,400 shells from Japanese battleships and cruisers before being attacked by 26 carrier-based bombers, sustaining only one fatal wound. Survivors There was no one there,” said Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Australia. said in a statement.
Japanese forces discovered Edsall about 355 miles south of Christmas Island, where a U.S. warship was sailing to rescue another ship. Historians say that Edsall had been damaged before and could not outgun Japanese cruisers and battleships.
placed in a “hopeless” situation, historian say In an act of defiance, Nix “chose to fight” and began evasive maneuvers by laying a smoke screen, which held off the Japanese targets for more than an hour until he was overpowered by dive bombers.
The Japanese military used this photo of the battleship Edsall being blown out of the sea as propaganda during World War II. (US Navy)
Nix's evasive behavior earned him respect from the Japanese, and Edsall was known for his manic movements, saying that he resembled a “Japanese dancing mouse”, a popular pet in Japan at the time.
“Even in the face of overwhelming odds, Edsall's commander adhered to the U.S. Navy's doctrine of 'never abandon ship,'” Lisa Franchetti, the U.S. Navy's chief of naval operations, said in a statement. ” he said.
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“The shipwreck is a sacred site and a landmark for the 185 U.S. Navy personnel and 31 U.S. Army Air Force pilots who were on board at the time, but Edsall died from battle damage. Almost all of them lost their lives,” the statement said. continued.
It was believed that all of Edsall's crew perished at sea, but it was not until many years after the war ended that the few survivors were picked up by the Japanese and beheaded on March 24, 1942. It turns out.
President Kennedy said the discovery is part of an ongoing effort to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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“We hope that now we can preserve this important monument so that the families of the heroes who died there will know that their loved ones rest in peace,” she said.
