Researchers from East Carolina University (ECU) recently revealed the discovery of three World War II military shipwrecks off the coast of Alaska.
The wrecks were discovered off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, which were invaded by Japan during WWII in what is often called the “forgotten battle” by experts, Live Science reported Sunday. The vessels include two Japanese freighters and one American cable ship called the SS Dellwood. They were discovered in July during an expedition to Attu Island, on the western tip of the Aleutians.
Both Japanese ships were sunk by U.S. bombs from the U.S. Air Force after troops invaded the island in June 1942, the outlet noted. The Japanese invasion was defeated almost a year later, a month after which the Dellwood was lost beneath the ocean.
🇺🇸🇯🇵 ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER WWII SHIPWRECKS NEAR ALASKA
They found the wrecks of 3 military ships involved in Japan’s WWII invasion of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, known as the “forgotten battle.”
The ships include two Japanese freighters sunk by American warplanes and the U.S.… pic.twitter.com/8Fmg3OJzHe
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 19, 2024
“The original [Japanese] idea was to turn Attu into an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier'” for attacks on American soil, the research team’s co-leader, Dominic Bush, told Live Science. “But as things started to change in the Pacific, they were abandoned by the Imperial command and basically told to hold out for as long as they could — essentially, to die with honor.” (RELATED: Andy Samberg Is The Last Guy We’d Put In A Brutal War Biopic, But He Looks Amazing In ‘Lee’)
Large waves crash upon an American tank landing ship moored in an outpost in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, February 29, 1944. The ship had been damaged from harsh winds and waves. American navy seabees managed to salvage the valuable 800-ton cargo aboard, which included 30,000 gallons of fuel oil, and repaired the ship enough to be able to tow back to home port for extensive repairs. (Photo by U.S. Navy/Frederic Lewis/Getty Images)
A Japanese ship aground in Kiska Harbor. 18th September 1943. Aleutian Islands. Alaska, United States of America. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)
Smoke billows up from a Japanese transport ship, victim of a direct hit by a U.S. bomber. It is sinking in flames in the westernmost Aleutian Islands, Alaska. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Soldiers exercise on deck as they set sail to the Aleutian Islands; At Sea, circa 1944. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann/Getty Images)
The Aleutian Islands were the only part of the U.S. invaded and successfully occupied during WWII by one of its enemies. It took some 35,000 American and Canadian soldiers to finally drive the Japanese forces off.
By https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/alaskawcanada/id/299/rec/13, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2073207
A view of the 450 mm muzzle-loaded type 97 torpedo tubes of a Type A K-hyteki-class two man midget submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy damaged and abandoned following Operation Cottage during the Aleutian Islands campaign circa late August 1943 at the Kiska Submarine Base off Kiska Harbor, Kiska, Aleutian Islands, Territory of Alaska, United States. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).
Japanese soldiers killed during the battle for Holtz Bay in World War Two, Aleutian Islands, May 19th 1943. (Photo by US Army Signal Corps/Getty Images)
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=428936
It was during this final stage of the occupation in May 1943 that the Battle of Attu occurred, claiming 2,351 Japanese lives and 549 troops from the North American allies, Live Science added. The July discovery, which was helped by partnerships with Japan’s World Scan Project, is the first time the wrecks have ever been documented. (RELATED: New Book Reveals Fate Of Ancient Artifacts Destroyed During WW2)
As well as the vessels, the research team found evidence that submarine nets were used in the defense of Attu’s main port. The team used a variety of new technologies to conduct the study, allowing them to survey the seafloor quickly and in high resolution.
