‘Ghost Ship of the Pacific’ is found on California ocean bed 82 years after becoming only American vessel to be captured by Japanese in WW2

The wreckage of the ‘Ghost Ship of the Pacific’ has been found on the ocean floor of California, eight decades after its historic role in World War II.

The wreck of the ‘Ghost Ship of the Pacific’, found almost 900 meters below the surface of the water, was discovered after 82 years using powerful robotic sonar technology.

The 300-foot ship was identified as the only US Navy Destroyer captured by Japanese forces during World War II, known as the DD-224 or USS Stewart.

Another group of drones managed to capture images of the wreckage days later and found it upright and “almost perfectly intact,” the New York Times reported.

The level of preservation is “exceptional” for a ship of this age, according to the superintendent of the Cordell Bank and Greater Farallones National Submarine Reserves.

‘[This] “makes it possibly one of the best-preserved examples of a U.S. Navy ‘four-pipe destroyer’ known to exist,” she continued.

The wreck of DD-224 is said to have been found in near-perfect condition, making it possibly one of the first of its kind to be so well preserved

The 300-foot ship was identified as the only US Navy Destroyer captured by Japanese forces during World War II

The ‘Ghost Ship’ was known as the DD-224 or USS Stewart

Russ Matthews said: ‘The whole history of that ship was actually exceptionally well documented. The only piece of that story we didn’t have yet is: What does it look like today?’

The drones used to locate the historic shipwreck have become a valuable asset to researching the history of our oceans.

In 2018, Ocean Infinity developed and deployed the largest fleet of marine robotics to collect undersea data.

“Using the latest remote and robotic technology, we are providing scientists and research institutions with vast amounts of data to help them make important decisions and advance their understanding of the changing ocean landscape,” Ocean Infinity wrote.

The company also helped find the wreck of the USS Nevada in 2020, which escaped Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor in 1941 and was one of the U.S. Navy’s longest-serving battleships.

The drones, orange and torpedo-shaped, serve to collect high-resolution data using sonars that create high-resolution maps of the seabed. The same technology is used for projects such as wind farms, oil rigs or the construction of submarine cables and pipelines.

Senior Vice President Jim Delgado of SEARCH Inc, the leading global organization in maritime archaeology, told the New York Times: “We are in the midst of, I think, a radical change in ocean discovery.

Delgado was part of the search for DD-224 for a decade as director of maritime heritage for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees more than 200,000 square miles of U.S. underwater parks.

The company’s research to understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans and coasts is part of their efforts to educate, conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.

Russ Matthews, president of the nonprofit Air/Sea Heritage Foundation and a member of the discovery team, told the New York Times: “The whole history of that ship was actually exceptionally well documented. The only piece of that story we didn’t have yet is: What does it look like today?’

Matthews and Sherell, the director of maritime operations at Ocean Infinity, worked together to test the largest autonomous drones to locate the DD-224.

The drones, orange and torpedo-shaped, serve to collect high-resolution data using sonar that create high-resolution maps of the seabed

The data collected by Ocean Infinity now provides the best map of that part of the Cordell Bank Reserve

Sherrell said mapping an area of ​​37 square nautical miles, the search area for the DD-224, normally takes weeks, but the drones spotted the ship within hours.

The data collected by Ocean Infinity is now the best map of that part of the Cordell Bank Reserve.

The Stewart received two battle stars for her services in World War II. She started when she joined the Destroyer Squadron, Atlantic, in 1921, where she was sent to the Philippines on a 23-year mission.

In October 1945, the Stewart was recommissioned by the US Navy and nicknamed ‘RAMP-224’ before her engines failed and she was sunk off San Francisco.

The USS Stewart began when she joined the Destroyer Squadron, Atlantic, in 1921 and received two battle stars for her service in World War II.

When war broke out between Japan and China in 1937, Stewart was stationed along Chinese ports before World War II led her back to the Philippines.

She was the lead ship of the second group against the Japanese forces and suffered several vicious night attacks.

Stewart suffered damage to her torpedo racks and galley, as well as a bulkhead below the waterline that flooded the engine room with two feet of water.

Despite being able to continue operating, she was severely damaged and inadequately supported on Surabaya’s floating dry dock where she was moored during repairs. As the dock rose she fell on her side in 3.5 meters of water, causing further damage to the hull and propeller shafts.

A Japanese bomb caused further damage before the ship’s port was finally evacuated.

Later in the war, reports emerged of an American warship operating in enemy waters after Japanese forces repaired the Stewart in 1943 until they arrived in Kure in 1944.

She was the lead ship of the second group against the Japanese forces and suffered several vicious night attacks

Stewart suffered damage to her torpedo racks and galley, as well as a bulkhead below the waterline which flooded the engine room while she was still in operation.

After sustaining extensive amounts of damage, the Stewart was docked in a floating dry dock, where she fell into the water, was repaired by Japanese forces, and used in enemy waters.

In April 1945 she was bombed and damaged by American forces and was eventually rediscovered in August of the same year.

In October 1945, the ship was recommissioned by the US Navy at Kure and was nicknamed ‘RAMP-224’ for ‘Recovered Allied Military Personnel’ before her engines failed near Guam.

She was decommissioned in May 1946 and scuttled off San Francisco as an aircraft target after two hours of gunfire.

Dr. Delgado said, “This ship was actually humanized by the Navy in its own way. People put so much into ships – and we have been doing so since the beginning of time. They represent us.’