Japanese shipwreck from World War II discovered after 82 years
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A significant discovery in maritime archaeology has been announced: the wreck of the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki has been found on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean, more than 80 years after it sank during World War II. The Teruzuki, an Akizuki-class destroyer, was located on July 12,Read more
A significant discovery in maritime archaeology has been announced: the wreck of the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki has been found on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean, more than 80 years after it sank during World War II.
See lessThe Teruzuki, an Akizuki-class destroyer, was located on July 12, 2025, by a team aboard the Ocean Exploration Trust’s Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus. The discovery was made in Iron Bottom Sound near the Solomon Islands, an area notorious for the numerous naval vessels and aircraft lost during intense battles between August and December 1942.
The destroyer was commissioned in 1942 and was designed to defend aircraft carriers from aerial attacks. It was lost in December 1942 after being hit by American torpedoes while transporting supplies to Japanese soldiers on Guadalcanal. While nine sailors were killed, most of the crew, including Rear Admiral Raizō Tanaka, survived the attack.
The exploration team used advanced seafloor mapping tools and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to confirm the identity of the ship. Notably, the discovery of the stern section, severed from the main hull and found over 200 meters away with intact depth charges, has led researchers to revise the long-held theory that the ship sank due to an explosion in its depth charge magazine. Instead, the evidence suggests the American torpedoes were the primary cause of the ship’s demise.
This finding provides valuable insights into the war and the ship’s final hours, as detailed blueprints and images of Japanese naval vessels were kept secret during the war, making this the first visual examination of the Teruzuki for this generation. The discovery is part of an ongoing multinational mission supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration and various institutions from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA, which has already documented 12 World War II maritime heritage sites in the area.