The wreck of a Japanese ship, torpedoed during World War II with more than 1,000 passengers on board, found off the Philippines

THE Montevideo Maru was finally found. The wreck of this Japanese ship, torpedoed during World War II with more than 1,000 people on board, has been located off the Philippines, an underwater archeology society announced on Saturday (April 22). The boat was located on April 18 at a depth of more than 4,000 meters in the South China Sea, 110 km off the island of Luzon, the Silentworld Foundation said. The discovery came after 12 days of research using, in particular, an underwater drone equipped with sonar.

This sinking remains one of the greatest maritime tragedies in Australian history. THE Montevideo Marua mixed freighter, had been sunk on July 1, 1942 by the American submarine USS Sturgeon. The crew of the latter was unaware that the ship was conveying Allied prisoners of war to the Chinese island of Hainan, occupied by the Japanese army. Some 1,060 people of 14 nationalities died on board, including 979 Australians captured during the Battle of Rabaul, New Guinea, according to the Silentworld Foundation.

It took more than five years to plan the mission to find the ship. The Silentworld Foundation clarified that the wreckage, which lies at a depth greater than that of the titanic, will not be disturbed. No object or human remains will be removed, out of respect for the families of the victims. “The place where the lost souls of the Montevideo Maru has finally been foundreacted the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, on social networks. We hope today’s news brings some comfort to loved ones who have waited so long.”