The Mini Museum Library - Articles, Essays, Specimen Deep Dives, and Current Research

The Deepest Shipwreck

August 26, 2022

Above: The Roberts wreck, 4.3 miles below the water. (Source: Caladan Oceanic And Eyos Expedit)

October 25th, 1944: The USS Samuel B. Roberts is sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of the Pacific Theater during World War II. The destroyer escort-class ship engaged several superiorly armed Japanese ships, including torpedoing a heavy cruiser, before the ship was lost under the ocean’s waves.

June 17th, 2022: an exploration team headed up by undersea explorer Victor Vescovo discover the remains of the Roberts at a depth of 4.3 miles off the coast of the Philippines, the deepest ocean wreck ever discovered.

The discovery of the Samuel B. Roberts (nicknamed the Sammy B) is a watershed moment in the field of oceanic exploration. The team made use of cutting-edge sonar technology and pushed their submersible to its absolute limits in their search for the famous ship. This is the new record for the deepest shipwreck ever found, but the previous record holder won't be too upset considering that was Vescovo too!

Vescovo had previously helped discover the wreck of the USS Johnston, another ship that perished in that fateful battle. The Johnston had been the deepest wreck discovered at four miles, now eclipsed by the Roberts. This discovery, an intersection of scientific pursuit and historical discovery, serves both as a tantalizing leap forward in the field of deep sea exploration, and as a stark reminder of the toll of war.

You can read more about the discovery here and if you're looking for more about shipwreck you can see our Lusitania deck chair recovered from the ship here!