U.S. officials announced on Monday that navy divers from the U.S. and Indonesia had found the sunken USS Houston, according to the Associated Press.
The Java Sea became the final resting place for about 700 U.S. sailors and Marines more than 70 years ago. The Japanese sunk the ship during the Battle of Sunda Strait in World War II on Feb. 28, 1942. Of the 1,068 people aboard, only 291 crewmen survived both the attack and being prisoners of war.
U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Harry Harris said divers had documented evidence that the wreckage was disturbed.
The ship's hull rivets, a metal plate and unexploded ordnance were removed from the ship, according to assessments conducted in June. Oil is also actively leaking from the hull.
The ship, a Northampton-class heavy cruiser, remains a sovereign property of the United States, and the area is a popular recreational dive site, according to the U.S. Navy. Both countries are working to stop any further disturbance of the site.
"In my discussions with our Indonesian navy partners, they share our sense of obligation to protect this and other gravesites," Harris said in a statement. "Surveying the site, of course, was only the first step in partnering to respect those sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the freedoms and security that we richly enjoy today."
The USS Houston, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast," faced the Imperial Japanese Navy attack during the 1942 battle. The Houston went down along with the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth.
The Navy estimates there are more than 17,000 sunken ships and aircraft sitting on the ocean floor across the world.
