An autonomous drone fleet overseen by Ocean Infinity has rediscovered the USS Stewart, the only US Navy destroyer ever captured by Japanese forces during World War II. The marine robotics company’s trio of orange, 20-foot-long underwater robots found the historic vessel while mapping what is now the 1,286-square-mile Cordell Bank national marine sanctuary off the California coast. Also known as the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific,” the 314-foot-long ship has spent the past 78 years resting roughly 3,500 feet below the ocean’s surface, and appears to remain almost completely intact and upright.
“This level of preservation is exceptional for a vessel of its age and makes it potentially one of the best-preserved examples of a US Navy ‘four-piper’ destroyer known to exist,” Maria Brown, superintendent for both Cordell Bank and Greater Farallones national marine sanctuaries, said in a statement to The New York Times on October 1.
The USS Stewart’s story is unique in US maritime history, making it one of the most sought-after wrecks for decades. Initially sunk and abandoned after sustaining substantial battle damage, Japanese forces managed to raise the destroyer, repair it, and reenlist it against America as a naval convoy escort. During its second life, Allied pilots began recounting what appeared to be one of their own ships far within enemy territory, earning the Stewart its “Ghost Ship” moniker.
The US Navy recovered the Stewart following Japan’s surrender and intended to tow it back to its original home. While en route, however, its engines gave out near Guam, forcing the fleet to tow it the rest of its journey. Once back in the US, the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific” was given a dramatic burial at sea on May 24, 1946: Used as target…
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