The world’s deepest shipwreck was found by explorers 6,895 meters below the waters of the Philippine Sea. The remains of the USS Samuel B Roberts, nicknamed “Sammy B”, were discovered on June 22, 2022 by billionaire explorer Victor Vescovo and sonar expert Jeremie Morizet.
USS Samuel B Roberts It was a 93-foot destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. He met his grave at sea in October 1944, after crossing fire with a large Imperial Japanese Navy squadron at the Battle of Samar, part of the large-scale Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Despite having only one destroyer escort, the USS B Johnston and a small US fleet put up a great fight against the Imperial Japanese Navy. However, she eventually failed to withstand the attacks and sank to the seafloor with 89 of her 224 crew. The last stand of the USS Samuel B Roberts, which was weak against its opponents in terms of weapons and numbers, is seen as a brave moment in American naval history.
However, the exact location of the wreck has not been determined until now. Vescovo, founder of Caladan Oceanic, and the team of EYOS Expeditions set out to explore the wreck during six dives from June 17-24, using submersible vehicles and sonar beam vessels. On June 18, they finally managed to identify the wreckage via a three-tube torpedo launcher unique to Sammy B.
A subsequent dive discovered the entire wreckage of Sammy B, split in two and resting on a 6,895-metre-deep slope.
The discovery surpasses the USS Johnston (6,469 meters) found by Vescovo last year by 426 meters, making it the deepest wreck ever detected and investigated.
“Finding this incredibly famous ship has been an extraordinary honor, and in doing so we have the chance to retell the story of heroism and duty to those who didn’t know about the ship and the sacrifices of its crew,” says Vescovo.
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