Neither Titanic nor USS Indianapolis: This is the deepest shipwreck ever discovered

The seabed is strewn with numerous ships that have sunk throughout history. Perhaps the most famous is the Titanic, but it is far from the only vessel to suffer such a fate.

Among the most significant is the deepest wreck ever identified: the USS Samuel B. Roberts, a US Navy escort destroyer sunk during World War II in 1944.

The USS Samuel B. Roberts met its fate during the Battle of Samar in the Philippine Sea, later found at a staggering depth of 22,621 feet (6,468 meters), according to reports from the BBC.

Though the crew aboard the destroyer gained fame for their brave resistance against Japanese forces, they were no match for the enemy in that Pacific battle.

The vessel’s story was both brief and straightforward, with barely a year passing between its commissioning on December 6, 1943, and its sinking at the end of the following year. Despite its short service, it earned a Battle Star and a Presidential award for the extraordinary heroism displayed by its crew.

Outnumbered and outgunned by the enemy, the Roberts managed to valiantly defend itself against multiple Japanese vessels before its tragic end. Of the 224 crew members on board, 89 perished along with the ship in the Philippine Sea, while another 120 clung to lifeboats, waiting nearly 50 hours to be rescued.

Discovered on a private dive

The discovery was the work of billionaire adventurer Victor Vescovo, owner of a deep-diving submersible. Vescovo, a former Navy reservist, considered it an honor to have found this ship, lost nearly 80 years ago. “It was an extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship and, in doing so, have the opportunity to retell its story of heroism and duty to those who may not know about the ship and the sacrifice of its crew,” he explained following the discovery.

The impact and intensity of the battle fought by the Roberts crew were visible to those who located the ship. Vescovo detailed how the holes, puncture marks, and general destruction that were visible showed the impact of Japanese heavy cruisers that fired “at point-blank range,” so rapidly that it exhausted their ammunition.

“It was reduced to firing smoke shells and illumination rounds just to try to set the Japanese ships on fire, and it kept firing. It was just an extraordinary act of heroism. Those men, on both sides, were fighting to the death.”

In the images captured by the adventurer’s submarine, the Limiting, the hull structure, cannons, and torpedo tubes used for firing are visible. The Samuel B. Roberts shows signs of damage from Japanese missiles, including a significant impact on the stern (the rear of the ship). Evidence suggests that the bow (front) was the first part to hit the seabed.

Not Vescovo’s only find

The ocean floor in this area is predominantly less than 6,000 meters deep, highlighting the significance of discovering this important ship that sank decades ago. This, however, is not Vescovo’s first notable find; last year, he uncovered the remains of the destroyer USS Johnston at a depth of 6,460 meters. Furthermore, his team cautions that there are still other undiscovered ships waiting to be found.

“The USS Gambier Bay (escort carrier) and the USS Hoel (destroyer),” said Kelvin Murray of EYOS, the company that led the expedition. “We have historical records related to where they may have sunk. We took a look at Gambier Bay, but this is detective work, and this type of deep-ocean operation has never been done before.

Other famous ship wrecks

Above this and thanks to an animation by YT/MetaBallStudios, are the SS Rio Grande (1944) at 5,760 meters, the USS Indianapolis -CA-35- (1945) at 5,500 meters, the USS America -CV-66 (2005) at 5,140 meters, the K-129 (1968) at 4,900 meters and the KMS Bismark (1941) at 4,790 meters, among others.

Now, on the opposite side we find the SS Winfield Scott(1853) - a side-wheel steamship that transported passengers and cargo between San Francisco, California and Panama - at 8 meters, the Mary Rose(1545) - flagship warship of the British monarch Henry VIII - at 12 meters and the Ray of Hope (2003) - a ship about 60 meters long - at 15 meters.

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