US Warship Sammy B Which Sank In October 1944 Found At A Depth Of 6,895 Meters In The Philippine Sea

JAKARTA - The USS Destroyer Escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), known as Sammy B has finally been found more than four miles deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. His body was split in two and stranded on the slopes of the ocean.

Victor Vescovo, an explorer who has previously completed expeditions to the world's deepest points, found the wreck together on June 22.

The location of the discovery is extraordinary in its depth. By comparison, the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro is 5,896 meters, while the highest permanent settlement in the world, La Rinconada in the Peruvian Andes, is 5,100 meters (16,700 feet).

Previously, the deepest wreck ever identified and surveyed was the USS Johnston, which was discovered last year by Vescovo. Even then, the location of the discovery is at 6,469 meters.

Vescovo, pilot and sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet, descends to track the wreck from end to end. Sammy B had broken into two pieces, located about 10 meters (33 ft) from each other.

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) has been discovered 22,600 under the Pacific, making it the deepest wreck ever IDed. The Sammy B became known as the "destroyer escort that fought like a battleship" for putting up a fierce fight before being sunk during the Battle off Samar in 1944 pic.twitter.com/vxogUySzK8

— US Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) June 24, 2022

Sammy B. was sunk in the Battle of Samar, on October 25, 1944. At that time, the US Navy defeated a larger Japanese fleet, east of the island of Samar in the Philippines.

The DE-413 fought three Japanese warships, including the Yamato, which was claimed at the time to be the largest ever built. The US ship was carrying 224 crew members, 89 of whom were killed. Captain Robert W. Copeland was one of the survivors.

"The heroism of its captain and crew is legendary in the Navy, and it was a great honor to find his final resting place. I think that helps close the story of the ship, for the families of those who were lost and those who were missing who served it. I think having a ship that disappeared into the depths, never to be seen again, can make those affiliated with the ship feel a sense of emptiness," Vescovo said.

"Finding shipwrecks can help bring closure, as well as bring details about the battle that we may not have known before. As we say, 'Steel doesn't lie.'"

At first they found the wreckage of the Sammy B. -- a three-tube torpedo launcher, which was the only ship that sank. On the last day, they found the wreck.

Vescovo called it an "honor" to find the ship, saying in a statement that finding it had given the team the opportunity "to retell its story of heroism and duty."