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Research ship recovered bell of US destroyer sunk off Solomon Islands

The 'Nautilus' has found the ship's bell of the lost frigate USS 'De Haven- (DD-469,', the latest in a series of discoveries in a survey of the so-called "Iron Bottom Sound" off the Solomon Islands. The Fletcher-class destroyer was commissioned in September 1942and immediately departed for the Solomon Islands campaign. She escorted a convoy of troopships to Guadalcanal, then patrolled the archipelago to interdict Japanese forces for the next several months. On Feb 1, 1943, the 'De Haven' was escorting a small group of landing craft and a seaplane tender to a new beachhead on Guadalcanal. As she returned to the base with two of the landing craft, nine Japanese planes approached, and six turned to attack her. The 'De Haven' was hit by three bombs, killing the commanding officer and sinking the ship just off Savo Island. 167 crewmembers lost their lives. The wreck was discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard in 1992, and the the 'Nautilus' returned to the site in July to re-survey the vessel. With the assistance from live-stream video viewers, the research team found the bell dislodged from its mount and resting atop a torpedo mount amidships. Signs of deterioration and marine life colonization suggested that the timing of the find was lucky: some areas of the wreck have become heavily encrusted, and one of the other torpedo mounts has tilted due to deck collapse since the last survey. The team also conducted the first ever wreck exploration of the USS 'Walke', a Sims-class destroyer that sank off Savo Island during the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on (Nov. 15, 1942. The 'Walke' fired off about 300 five-inch rounds at three Japanese warships in a nighttime battle; she was hit by a torpedo in return, then by multiple rounds of shells. As she went down, her depth charges detonated, killing survivors in the water. The ROV exploration showed the ferocity of the fight: the bridge had been blown off and was found separately, and only about half of the length of the hull could be identified as a single structure. Both the bow and stern were missing. Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oqLozxPV0g&t=416s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pfSGpiZ4WY&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maritime-executive.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

Wwreck of Japanese destroyer 'Teruzuki' found after almost 83 years

On July 12, 2025, the 'Nautilus' has discovered the wreck of the Japanese destroyer 'Teruzuki', which was torpedoed and sunk by a PT boat off Guadalcanal in 1942, 2,5 months. after its delivery. She first saw action during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October, then joined a Japanese task force to attack U.S. forces at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The first attempt at this mission began on Nov 12; it was thwarted by U.S. forces in a fierce and costly nighttime battle. In the exchange of fire, the 'Teruzuki' managed to cripple the destroyer USS 'Sterett' and may have contributed to the sinkings of the destroyers USS 'Monssen' and USS 'Laffey'. She was assigned to a second attempt on Nov 14-15, but did not play a major role during the engagement. On Dec 11, the 'Teruzuki' returned to Guadalcanal as part of a resupply task force with four other destroyers. Their mission was to drop off floating drums of supplies for the Japanese troops pinned down on the island. After the food drums were dropped off and the 'Teruzuki was headed home, she was attacked by several U.S. Navy PT boats and took two torpedo hits. The damage left her disabled and ablaze, and after three hours, the fire likely set off a depth charge magazine. The resulting explosion blew off her stern and caused her to rapidly sink. 156 crew members were able to swim to shore, nine people died. The 'Nautilus' discovered the final resting place of the 'Teruzuki' in the so-called Iron Bottom Sound at a water depht of over 800 metres, The crew first picked up the wreck site using an unmanned surface vessel conducting a sonar survey. They confirmed the find with an ROV inspection, and Hiroshi Ishii, a specialist from Kyoto University, identified the wreck as the 'Teruzuki'. The destroyer's stern was missing, and it was found about 200 meters away. Only a dozen of the WWII wrecks in the sound have been identified, but Mayer's team believes that there could be as many as 100 in total. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOOdNWncL10

Non profit group explored three iconic shipwrecks

Between Sep 8-12, 2023, deep-sea explorers aboard the 'Nautilus' have captured detailed images of three iconic shipwrecks from World War II's Battle of Midway, including the first up-close photos of a Japanese aircraft carrier since it sank during the historic battle in 1942. The 'Akagi' was surveyed along with two other aircraft carriers by a crew aboard the 'Nautilus'. On Sep 10, a team spent 14 hours surveying the 'Akagi', which was the first time anyone has laid eyes on the vessel since sinking during June 1942's Battle of Midway. The vessel was initially located during a mapping survey in 2019. The team was also able to conduct the first detailed surveys of the Japanese Imperial Navy's 'Kaga' and the USS 'Yorktown'. The 'Yorktown' was first located 25 years ago during a joint U.S. Navy and National Geographic Society expedition led by Robert Ballard, the founder of Ocean Exploration Trust. The crew used remote-controlled vessels to film the shipwrecks, and over 100 experts from the U.S., Japan and across the globe were connected to ship operations with video technology, helping guide the mission and providing valuable real-time interpretations throughout the surveys. The expedition team completed non-invasive visual surveys of the wrecks during three deployments below 5,100 meters. The mission marked the deepest remotely operated vehicle dive that the 'Nautilus' has ever completed. During over 43 hours at depth, we methodically circumnavigated the wrecks, bringing to light many features in great detail, including their armament, battle, and sinking-related damage. Many anti-aircraft guns were still pointing up, providing clues about the final moments on these iconic ships. Each dive ended with protocol ceremonies to honor all who lost their lives in the battle. Report with photos and video: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wwii-shipwrecks-battle-of-midway-japanese-imperial-navy-akagi-kaga-uss-yorktown/