Wreck Site Identified as WWII Carrier USS Ommaney Bay (CVE 79)
Naval History and Heritage Command confirmed the identity of a wreck site as USS Ommaney Bay (CVE 79) July 10. While operating in the Sulu Sea, Ommaney Bay was hit and eventually mortally wounded by a twin-engine Japanese suicide plane on Jan. 4, 1945.NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch used a combination of survey information provided by the Sea Scan Survey team and video footage provided by the DPT Scuba dive team, to confirm the identity of Ommaney Bay. This information correlated with location data for the wreck site provided to NHHC in 2019 by Vulcan, LLC (formerly Vulcan, Inc.).“Omman
Divers Find Deepest Known Shipwreck USS Johnston
, film of pieces of the vessel were taken by a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), but the majority of the wreck including its upright, intact forward two-thirds including bow, bridge, and mid-section lay deeper than the ROV’s rated depth limit of approximately 20,000 feet (6,000 meters).The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) assessed the wreck as probably Johnston based on relative location, however, Johnston and Hoel (DD-533), lost in the same battle, were virtually identical Fletcher-class destroyers. The wreck had features known to be on Hoel but not confirmed on Johnston, as they
USS Nevada Shipwreck Located
sonar and other sensors have revealed. (Photo: Ocean Infinity) Ocean Infinity’s HUGIN AUV surveyed a hundred square mile area of the Pacific at a depth of nearly three miles to find the wreck of USS Nevada. (Photo: Ocean Infinity) Retired Rear Admiral Samuel Cox, Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, said, "We are greatly appreciative to Ocean Infinity and Search Inc. in relocating and providing information on an extremely historic vestige of our nation's past. Nevada is an unambiguous reminder of our Navy's heritage of resilience."Nevada has a proud
Sunken Submarine USS Stickleback Found
," Taylor said."We're grateful for the respectful, nonintrusive work of the Lost 52 Project to locate and document the Navy's submarine wrecks," said Dr. Bob Neyland, Naval History and Heritage Command's Underwater Archeology Branch head. "Each discovery assists the Naval History and Heritage Command in its mission to preserve and protect the Navy's sunken military craft and provides an opportunity to remember and honor the service of our Sailors and Marines." The Discovery of the Stickleback is part of the ongoing "Lost 52 Project" supported
US Navy Sub Discovery Validated
of the wreck site. Records indicated that her sister ship, USS S-35, had been scuttled in that same area. Finding the subtle differences between the two series of S-class submarines demanded some technical expertise and analysis. Through Taylor's research, paired with historical archives, the Naval History and Heritage team were able to positively identify the wreck comparing design differences. Records revealed the hulls had uniquely different cowling covers on the forward bow planes.3D Photogrammetry Imagery of the deck gun and bridge of the USS S-28 lost 75 years ago on July 4, 1944.The investigato
Wreckage of USS Wasp CV-7 Discovered
point after the start of WWII. Her pilots and her aircrew, with their courage and sacrifice, were the ones that held the line against the Japanese when the Japanese had superior fighter aircraft, superior torpedo planes and better torpedoes,” said Rear Adm. (Ret.) Samuel Cox, director of the Naval History and Heritage Command. “The first year of the war, it was touch and go. Those who served at that time deserve the gratitude of our nation for holding the Japanese back.”In its final battle, Wasp was hit in arguably the most effective spread of torpedoes in history by a Japanese submarine
US Destroyer Wreckage Discovered off Remote Alaskan Island
; ripped the destroyer apart. Somehow the crew kept the main part of Abner Read’s hull watertight, and two nearby Navy ships towed it back to port. “This was catastrophic damage that by all rights should have sunk the entire ship,” said Sam Cox, curator of the Navy and director of the Naval History and Heritage Command.Within months, the destroyer was back in the war. It went on to fight in several battles in the Pacific Theater before being destroyed in Nov. 1944 by a Japanese dive bomber in a kamikaze attack during the battle of Leyte Gulf. Abner Read received four battle stars for
The Quest to Find and Explore USS Indianapolis
of research, leveraging a combination of historical records, detailed undersea topographical data and advanced technology to explore a 400 square nautical mile search area between Guam and Palau in the Philippine Sea. A key data point came from a discovery by Dr. Richard Hulver, a historian with the Naval History and Heritage Command, who identified a naval landing craft that had recorded sighting the USS Indianapolis hours before it was torpedoed. All this research led to a new estimated position west of where previous searches have been conducted. But even with the new insight, finding a
The ROV that Explored USS Indianapolis
Sea. For the design, manufacture and commissioning of the specialty ROV, Allen and his company Vulcan Inc. received support from 3U Technologies, LLC, who said it was initially contracted by Vulcan in 2012 to investigate 6,000-meter ROV solutions to extend Allen’s passion for WWII Naval history, exploration and archeology to most of the world’s ocean depths. Working under the direction of Vulcan’s Director of Subsea Operations Robert Kraft, 3U engineering and management personnel sourced, specified and designed all key systems/subsystems and managed equipment manufacturing
February 2024
