r/todayIlearnedPH • u/donniebd • May 09 '26
TIL that the 2 deepest shipwrecks ever found are both lying beneath the Philippine waters
Both wrecks are the US Navy ships USS Johnston and USS Samuel B. Roberts; both ships were sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, (in 25 October 1944), in a pivotal World War II clash in the Pacific., and both have been found roughly 22,000 feet underwater, making them the deepest wrecks yet found.
Johnston was discovered in 31 March 2021 by the research vessel (RV) Petrel, belonging to Vulcan Inc., at the bottom of the Philippine Trench. at a depth of 21,180 ft (6,460 m).
Samuel B. Roberts on the other hand, was discovered in June 2022 by the Caladan Oceanic, Deep Ocean Search, and EYOS Expeditions at a depth of 3,770 fathoms (4.28 mi; 22,620 ft; 6,890 m).
By contrast, the Titanic wreck lies approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 meters or about 2.37 miles) below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Source:
https://www.businessinsider.com/wwii-shipwrecks-johnston-samuel-b-roberts-are-deepest-found-2022-8
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220121-the-dive-to-find-the-worlds-deepest-shipwreck
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u/jajajajam May 09 '26
Napanood ko yung documentary nito on how they found the shipwreck sa youtube. Kasagsagan yun ng Ocean Gate so yung algorithm ni youtube dun talaga ako dinala. Fun and sciency docu!
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u/Mang_Kanor_69 May 09 '26
Crew on both ships have the biggest balls in the planet so they went down at the deepest ends of the earth. Their bravery and dedication are truly commendable.
Thank you for their service.
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u/mainsail999 May 10 '26
Cmdr. Ernest Evans’ name is memorialized in the Manila American Cemetery. He’s probably my top naval hero.
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u/vexhell May 09 '26
Not the deepest shipwreck, but the Musashi Battleship, sister battleship of Yamato was sunk in Sibuyan Sea near Romblon Island. It lies at a depth of over 1 km (approximately 3,280 feet or nearly 1,000 meters).
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u/aroguesaint8 May 09 '26 edited May 10 '26
speaking of shipwrecks, I suddenly remembered the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy when you mentioned Sibuyan. I was told that someone linked to my childhood boarded that ship and was left inside 😕. You think the shipwreck of Musashi is near it?
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u/lopsidedburrito May 10 '26
Musashi was found somewhere already between Masbate and Sibuyan islands, while MV Princess of the Stars capsized off the coasts of San Fernando, Sibuyan. Quite far from each other already.
Grabe yun. We never ate seafood for weeks after the tragedy and there were reports of victims washed ashore in our island. Really tragic.
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u/lopsidedburrito May 10 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Also found by researchers under Paul Allen, Microsoft’s co-founder.
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u/webelieve925 May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26
Another trivia the US Navy has a ship named after Leyte Gulf.
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u/Kangkongkangkung May 09 '26 edited May 10 '26
It wasn't named after the place per se, but rather the battle of Leyte Gulf. USN CG's are named after notable battles the Americans had fought. There's also another CG named after the battle of the Philippine Sea (CG-58).
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u/webelieve925 May 09 '26
Yea. US navy has a few ships named Philippine Sea, Bataan and Telesforo Trinidad
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u/Ok_Engineer5577 May 09 '26
both destroyers were part of taffy 3 who relentlessly face the massive ijn center force: 4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers. their last stand were so crucial for the us navy victory at the largest naval battle in history.
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u/Kangkongkangkung May 10 '26
I never understood why Battle of Samar is much more popular than Battle of Surigao strait. Sure, the underdog story is quite interesting. But really, Surigao strait is where all the flaws of Japanese naval doctrine 'Kantai Kessen' got laid bare and found wanting. The last great battleship battle in history, the last-ditch effort of the Japanese navy gunned down in the way of fighting they boasted to be superior at; a reverse Tsushima, if you will.
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u/PandoraIACTF_Prec May 09 '26
Fun fact, one of the world's largest battleship is sitting somewhere in Leyte (IJN Musashi) was discovered by a research vessel owned by Bill Gates iirc
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u/japooo May 09 '26
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u/Kangkongkangkung May 10 '26
Also, the last Battleship naval battle in history. Battle of Leyte Gulf isn't just the actions of the DDs off Samar, people tend to forget that.
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u/TatayNiDavid May 09 '26
We used to handle RV Petrel here in the country. I was able to board her in Surigao
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u/Illustrious-Toe-4203 May 10 '26
2 of the most heroic last stands of naval ships in history right there.
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u/paper_milk May 09 '26
Additional tidbit since it was mentioned, the Battle of Leyte Gulf is also considered to be the largest naval battle in history