The Deepest Shipwreck In The World Identified and Confirmed
USS Samuel B Roberts
The USS Samuel B. Roberts was a 1944 escort destroyer built to guard and support the growing American fleets in the Pacific. The ship was commissioned in April and sank six months later in one of the largest naval battles in history. The Battle Off Samar was a chief naval action that occurred as a part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf.
The USS Samuel B. Roberts was not a large vessel. It only displaced 1,350 tons and had a crew complement of 215 officers and enlisted. Its main armament was just two 5-inch guns. That is one of the reasons it was impressive when the destroyer faced down a Japanese cruiser and was ultimately sent to the bottom. The smaller ship got in so close to a large cruiser that the guns could not lower their muzzles enough to hit the ship.
The US destroyer was eventually shredded by massive 14-inch shells by the lurking Japanese battleship Kongo. 90 men went down with the destroyer as it sank in incredibly deep waters. After her hull vanished beneath the waves she was not seen for nearly 78 years.
The World’s Deepest Shipwreck
An expedition financed and led by Victor Vescovo found the wreck of the Samuel B. Roberts deep below the ocean. The wreck was found sitting on…
