(CNN) –– Underwater researchers found the remains of a US Navy destroyer, known as the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific,” off the coast of California.
The USS Stewart was deliberately sunk during a US Navy exercise in May 1946 and its final resting place has been located, according to a statement released Tuesday from the Air Sea Heritage Foundation and Search Inc., both involved in the investigation.
Three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) deployed by marine robotics research company Ocean Infinit
and scanned the ocean floor at the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the northern coast of California over the course of 24 hours starting August 1, and radar and multibeam echosounder data revealed that the Stewart was at 1,036 meters below the surface of the ocean.
“Preliminary radar scans revealed that the Stewart is virtually intact and that its hull, which remains sleek and imposing, rests almost upright on the seafloor,” the statement said.
“This level of preservation is exceptional for a ship of its age, and potentially makes it one of the best-preserved examples of a US Navy four-stacker destroyer known.”
The team also conducted another survey, using sonar, and sent a remotely operated vehicle equipped with a camera to conduct a visual inspection.
The USS Stewart, commissioned in 1920, had a tumultuous life.
The ship was damaged in combat against Japanese forces in 1942, captured by the enemy, and became the 102nd patrol vessel of the Imperial Japanese Navy, according to the statement.
“Soon, allied long-range pilots began reporting the strange sight of an old American destroyer operating deep behind enemy lines,” the statement read.
“It was not until the Stewart was found afloat in Kure, Japan, at the end of the war, that the mystery of the Pacific ghost ship was finally solved.”
She was then towed back to San Francisco before being used as a target ship during a naval exercise, and sank after absorbing fire for more than two hours.
“In the decades that followed, the story of the Stewart attracted the interest of historians, archaeologists and naval enthusiasts, and the rediscovery of her remains became a national priority for exploration,” the statement states. “It was more than 78 years before it was found.”
Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Cox, director of the Naval History and Heritage Command and curator of the U.S. Navy, praised the team that found the ship.
“Whether lost in battle or sunk as a target, a warship remains sovereign property in perpetuity,” he said in the statement.
“It is important to know the location and condition of such wrecks in order to protect them from unauthorized alterations under the United States Sunken Military Vessel Act.”
