An international team of explorers located the world's deepest shipwreck that sunk in the Battle of the Leyte Gulf almost 80 years ago in the second world war.
They saw the wreck of the USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts about four miles under the Philippine Sea.
Mysterious Samuel B. Has Haunted Wreck Hunters for Decades
The destroyer was last seen in the Western Pacific Ocean when it was recorded to have sunk there in the closing days of 1944, reported the Sun UK.
Thanks to adventurer Victor Vescovo, who has years of experience in deep-sea expeditions, the warship was located last Wednesday.
It sank to a depth of 22,621 feet and the superstructure, unsurprisingly, broke in half on the sea bottom. For comparison, the depth is more than 3,000 feet taller thanthe peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, as cited by the New York Post
The explorer was with pilot and sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet when they dove down in an attempt to determine the position of the ship and go around it.
In eight days, the team made six deep dives and were able to assess the two sunken portions that were about 33 feet apart.
It is worth noting that the team built a custom-built sidescan solar system in order to find the wreck. They did so after numerous efforts of trying to find the wreck, to no avail. It didn't help that prior data about the wreck were inaccurate and would have led them to another dead end.
The international team of explorers then found the debris of a three-tube torpedo launcher of the wartime US destroyer. The discovery gave a hint that the world's deepest shipwreck sunk during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf.
By chance the crew was able to locate the WW2 remnant in one of the deepest oceans in the world.
Story of a Heroic Ship's Valiant End
Vescovo revealed that it was an extraordinary honor to find this incredibly well-known ship and, in doing so, have the opportunity to share the story of the ship's bravery and devotion to duty with those who might not be aware of it, noted The World News.
"Resting at 6,895 meters, now the deepest shipwreck ever discovered and investigated. Her stern crashes into the seabed with some force and buckles. It seems to have caused it," Vescovo said.
"Her stern was also about 5 meters away due to the impact, but the whole wreckage was together."
He added the destroyer took on the Japanese Navy and went down fighting until its last second.
The USS Samuel B. Roberts and other ships like the USS Johnston were lost for a long time in the same seas.
Vescovo also spoke to CNN about the US Destroyer, noting that they weren't sure they can find the wreck in the deepest parts that it was lost.
He added it was an honor to be the first person to see the ship after it went down fighting about 80 years ago.
Former US Navy chief called the Samuel B. a hallowed war grave. With that said, all data about the dive will be given to the US Navy.
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