Australian navy discovered USS Edsall late last year near Christmas Island, 80 years after its 1942 sinking by Japan
The wreck of the long-lost US warship USS Edsall,
sent to the bottom of the sea during the second world war by the
Japanese, has been discovered, US and Australian officials announced on
Monday.
The warship was sunk on 1 March 1942,
three months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The Edsall was
traveling across the Indian Ocean south of Java when it was sunk by
Japanese dive bombers.
The Edsall’s formidable display in evading attacks before its demise led the Japanese to dub the ship “the dancing mouse”.
“I
am honored to acknowledge the role #AusNavy played in discovering the
wreck of @usnavy USS Edsall, a warship that holds a special place in our
shared naval histories,” wrote Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to
Australia, in an Instagram post to commemorate Veterans Day.
“We will now be able to preserve this important
memorial and hope that the families of the heroes who died there will
know their loved ones rest in peace,” said Kennedy in an accompanying
video.
The second world war ship, only about
300ft in length, was carrying 153 sailors and several dozen army air
forces pilots and soldiers. It had sustained damage from an earlier
attack and deemed unfit for combat but was deployed to aid another ship
when it encountered Japanese naval forces at about 4pm.
Despite
its damaged state, the Edsall successfully dodged attacks for over an
hour, swerving to avoid the hundreds of fired shells. The Edsall
counterattacked with a smokescreen and torpedoes before eventually being
overcome by Japanese dive bombers
Historians say that a few people on board
survived the sinking ship but were immediately picked up by enemy forces
and later beheaded in a prison camp.
According to the US navy, the wreck was first discovered late last year south of Australia’s remote Christmas Island submerged in 18,000ft of water. The US cooperated with Australian officials to confirm the wreck was in fact the Edsall.
Mark Hammond,chief
of the Royal Australian Navy, said in the video that the wreck was
found by the MV Stoker, an Australian naval support ship that is
normally used for hydrographic surveying.
The
wreckage was subsequently examined with underwater robots and sonar. The
Australian navy has not disclosed what the Stoker was doing when the
Edsall was found, citing “operational security sensitivities”, according
to the Washington Post.
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