Explorers find a sunken World War II ship with over 1,000 Allied POWs

News

by Rich Calder

April 22, 2023 | 1:47 p.m

A Japanese merchant ship that sank during World War II while carrying more than 1,000 Allied prisoners of war has been found, officials said Saturday.

The Montevideo Maru was torpedoed on July 1, 1942, off the coast of the Philippines by an American submarine whose crew did not realize that the ship was carrying prisoners of war.

It was Australia’s largest naval loss in wartime with a total of 1,080 lives lost.

It took the 12-day search of Luzon Island in the South China Sea by a team of explorers using an autonomous underwater vehicle with built-in sonar, 13,120 feet below sea level — deeper than the Titanic — to find the wreckage.

“The extraordinary effort behind this discovery speaks to the enduring truth of Australia’s solemn national promise to remember and honor those who have served our country,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

No efforts will be made to remove human remains and artifacts out of respect for the families of those who died, according to a statement Saturday from the Sydney-based Silentworld Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to archeology and maritime history.

The group took part in the mission with Dutch deep-sea survey specialists Fugro and the Australian Department of Defense.

The Montevideo Maru was transporting prisoners and civilians captured after the fall of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea.

Among the dead were 1,080 people from 14 countries, including 979 Australians.

with wire.