Discovery of WWII shipwreck where almost 1,000 Australians perished

In 1942, a US submarine sank the Japanese ship SS Montevideo Maru without realizing it was carrying more than a thousand prisoners of war.

The SS Montevideo Maru, a Japanese transport ship destroyed off the Philippines in 1942, killing over 1,000 Australian prisoners of war on board, has been found, according to deep-sea investigators.

The ship was sunk on July 1, 1942, by an American submarine whose crew was unaware that the ship was carrying prisoners of war as it traveled from what is now Papua New Guinea to China’s Hainan. For more than 80 years, the site of the wreck remained a mystery.

The ship was discovered at a depth of more than 4 km (2.5 miles), according to the maritime archaeological organization Silentworld Foundation, which planned the trip.

The Montevideo Maru catastrophe, which resulted in the deaths of at least 850 soldiers and an estimated 979 Australians, was the biggest maritime disaster to ever affect Australia. According to the organization, there were also passengers from 13 other nations, bringing the total number of captives slaughtered to around 1,060.

Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, announced in a tweet that “at long last, the resting place of the lost souls of the Montevideo Maru has been found.”

850 Australian service members who had their lives cut short were among the 1,060 detainees on board, he claimed.

“The extraordinary effort behind this discovery speaks for the enduring truth of Australia’s solemn national promise to always remember and honour those who served our country,” he continued.

We hope that the news of today will give some solace to loved ones who have kept a lengthy vigil.

The long-awaited discovery coincides with Anzac Day observances on April 25, a significant day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand for their soldiers lost in all military conflicts.

Defense Minister Richard Marles of Australia said in a video message that “this brings to an end one of the most tragic chapters in Australia’s maritime history.”

For the relatives of those who perished, “the Montevideo Maru’s lack of a location has represented unfinished business up until now,” Marles added.

Using cutting-edge tools like an autonomous underwater vehicle with sonar, explorers started looking for the wreck on April 6 in the South China Sea northwest of the Philippines’ largest island, Luzon, and made a good sighting just 12 days later.

The hunt was carried out by the Silentworld Foundation with assistance from the Australian military and Dutch deep sea survey company Fugro. “The discovery of the Montevideo Maru closes a terrible chapter in Australian military and maritime history,” said John Mullen, director of the foundation.

He told Australia’s ABC News Breakfast, “We’re looking at the gravesite of over 1,000 people.”

“It’s extraordinarily significant for families and descendants,” he said. “We lost nearly twice as many [Australians] as in the entire Vietnam War.”

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES AND AL JAZEERA