The wreckage of a Japanese ship torpedoed during World War II with more than 1,000 people on board, mostly Australian prisoners, has been found off the coast of the Philippines, the Silentworld Foundation, an underwater archeology society, announced on Saturday. .
The mixed freighter Montevideo Maru had been sunk on July 1, 1942 by the American submarine USS Sturgeon, whose crew did not know that it was conveying Allied prisoners of war to the Chinese island of Hainan, occupied by the Japanese army. .
According to the Silentworld Foundation, approximately 1,060 people of 14 nationalities died, including 979 Australians captured during the Battle of Rabaul, New Guinea, including at least 850 soldiers.
The wreckage was found on April 18 at more than 4,000 meters deep in the South China Sea, 110 km off the Philippine island of Luzon, after twelve days of research using an underwater drone. equipped with sonar.
It took more than five years to plan the mission to find the ship, whose whereabouts had remained a mystery for nearly 81 years, according to the Silentworld Foundation.
“The resting place of the lost souls of the Montevideo Maru has finally been found,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement posted on social media. “We hope today’s news brings some comfort to loved ones who have waited so long,” he added.
This sinking remains one of the greatest maritime tragedies in Australian history.
“The discovery of the Montevideo Maru closes a terrible chapter in Australia’s military and maritime history,” said John Mullen, director of Silentworld, who conducted the research with Dutch firm Fugro, which specializes in deep-sea surveys. , and with the Australian Army.
The Silentworld Foundation said the wreckage of the Montevideo Maru, which lies at a greater depth than that of the Titanic, will not be disturbed. No object or human remains will be removed, out of respect for the families of the victims.
04/22/2023 08:39:13 – Sydney (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
