HISTORY

making it the deepest known shipwreck at that

time. The discovery included a gun, a propeller

shaft, and several other fragments. Indications

on the seabed suggested that the rest of the

ship had sunk even deeper, beyond the reach of

the exploration robot.

Enter Victor Vescovo, an entrepreneur and

investor who served in the U.S. Navy for 20

years and now dedicates himself to deep-sea

expeditions. He has dived to the deepest points

in all the world's oceans, including reaching

the bottom of the Mariana Trench's Challenger

Deep in April 2019. It was only the third manned

mission to this location in history.

On March 31, 2021, Vescovo’s research

vessel DSV Limiting Factor found the remaining

wreckage of USS Johnston at a depth of 6,469

meters, definitively identifying it. This discovery

set a new record for the deepest known

shipwreck.

However, this record was broken again in

June 2021 when Vescovo and his team found

the wreck of the escort destroyer USS Samuel

B. Roberts at a depth of 6,895 meters. According

to their observations, the ship descended in

one piece before crashing onto the seabed with

its bow first, causing hull deformations and

the detachment of the stern, which now lies

5 meters away from the main wreck. The hull

also bears visible damage caused by Japanese

shelling, including a broken mast.

Currently, the USS Samuel B. Roberts holds

the title of the deepest known shipwreck.

Still, it is believed that some of the ships

sunk in the Battle of Samar Island lie even

deeper. Searching for them in the depths of the

Philippine Trench is extremely challenging. USS

Gambier Bay and USS Hoel are yet to be found,

with the destroyer potentially resting at a depth

of up to 7,300 meters. Even deeper is presumed

to be the Japanese cruiser Suzuya, which is

believed to lie at a depth of up to 8,400 meters.

Broken stern of USS Samuel B. Roberts.

The rear gun turret of USS Samuel

B. Roberts featuring the 127 mm caliber

cannon.

Photo: Victor Vescovo

Photo: Victor Vescovo

Photo: Victor Vescovo

Photo: Victor Vescovo

Number 413 seen on the shipwreck of

escort destroyer USS Samuel B. Roberts.

The captain‘s bridge of USS Samuel

B. Roberts. Twin barrel of the 40 mm

caliber cannon can be seen on the

starboard and 20 mm cannon on the port.

Photo: Victor Vescovo

Photo: Victor Vescovo

Photo: Victor Vescovo

USS Samuel B. Roberts‘ bow.

The number 557 can be seen on the hull of destroyer USS Johnston.

End of RV Petrel?

The fate of the research vessel RV Petrel has

become a symbolic conclusion to the series

of discoveries mentioned earlier. After Paul

Allen's passing on October 15, 2018, the RV

Petrel continued her work. Its crew discovered

many wrecks mentioned in our articles

published in 2019. At the beginning of 2020,

several expeditions were undertaken as part

August 2023

of a partnership between the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the

Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

In June 2020, the RV Petrel underwent

modernization and was equipped with new

instruments. However, due to the COVID-19

pandemic, it was put into indefinite storage in a

dry dock in Scotland. In October 2022, the United

States Navy purchased the vessel for $12.4

A gun turret featuring 127 mm caliber

cannon on board of USS Johnston.

million. Nonetheless, it remained in the dry dock

at the port of Leith in Edinburgh.

Tragedy struck on March 22, 2023, during

strong winds, when the RV Petrel broke free

from its moorings and capsized at a 45-degree

angle. 33 people were injured, but luckily there

were no fatalities. The extent of the damage and

the future of the vessel remain unknown at this

time.

INFO Eduard

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