Explorers find US WW II ship off Philippines

USS Samuel B Roberts was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort, the first of three US Navy ships to bear the name….reports Asian Lite News

USS Samuel B Roberts, a World War II era destroyer of the United States Navy went down in 1944 has been found nearly 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) below sea level off the Philippines, media reported.

An American exploration team said this will be the world’s deepest shipwreck ever located, according to AFP report.

USS Samuel B Roberts was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort, the first of three US Navy ships to bear the name.

The destroyer went down during a battle off the central island of Samar on October 25, 1944 as US forces fought to liberate the Philippines — then a US colony — from Japanese occupation.

Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic said that a crewed submersible filmed, photographed and surveyed the battered hull of the “Sammy B” during a series of dives over eight days this month.

Images showed the ship’s three-tube torpedo launcher and gun mount, it was reported.

“Resting at 6,895 meters, it is now the deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed,” tweeted Caladan Oceanic founder Victor Vescovo, who piloted the submersible.

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