A team led by the Silentworld Foundation, in collaboration with Dutch deep-sea survey firm Fugro, has discovered the wreckage of the Montevideo Maru in the South China Sea. The ship was sunk by a US submarine in 1942, unaware it was carrying prisoners of war.
It is Australia’s worst-ever maritime disaster, with an estimated 979 Australian citizens, including at least 850 troops, and 13 other nationalities onboard. The discovery was made after five years of planning and 12 days of searching using high-tech equipment, including an autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with sonar.
The ship, which had split into two sections, lies at a greater depth than the Titanic, at a depth of over four kilometres, with the bow and stern about 500 metres apart. Captain Roger Turner, technical director of the expedition, believes that two torpedoes caused the ship’s sinking.
The first torpedo caused the ship to sink, and the second one blew off part of the accommodation. The foundation announced that no artifacts or human remains will be removed from the site out of respect for the families of those who perished. The wreckage will remain undisturbed on the sea floor, treated with appropriate respect as a war grave for approximately 1,100 people.
The discovery of the Montevideo Maru was welcomed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, who said that it ended 81 years of uncertainty for the families of those lost.
Relatives of the perished prisoners also expressed their gratitude, stating that locating the vessel was “hugely comforting.” The discovery highlights the human cost of conflict and reminds us of the importance of respecting the memory of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
SOURCE: Ref- france24
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