Wreckage of American destroyer found in Pacific Ocean at record depth

Explorer, billionaire and founder of Caladan Oceanic Victor Vescovo informed about the discovery of the wreckage of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, a US Navy destroyer escort that sank 78 years ago.

This find is notable because the wreckage was found at a depth of 6,895 meters, making it the deepest ship in the world.

USS Samuel B. Roberts was a 93 meter long escort destroyer built for the US Navy during World War II. It sank in October 1944, a few months after first going to sea, after a battle with ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Its exact location has not been determined until now. Using submersibles and ships with sonar, Vescovo, along with members of the British EYOS expeditions, set out to locate the ship during six dives that took place from 17 to 24 June. On June 18, they were able to identify the destroyer by a triple-tube torpedo launcher unique to the Samuel B. Roberts.

During subsequent dives, all the wreckage of the ship from bow to stern was found, divided into two parts. Vescovo also noted the presence of potentially live projectiles in the 40mm guns and depth charges still in their racks.

In March, Victor Vescovo, together with the scientist Osvaldo Ulloa plunged in the Chilean Trench in the Pacific Ocean to a depth of 8,000 meters, where he discovered organisms previously unknown to science.