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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