Warship Salvage Report Thread

[Bacle]

So I saw on Facebook that RV Petrel has started releasing photo's and video from their survey of/search for wrecks around Samar.

First of the photos/video is of the wreck of the St. Lo, who was lost to the first organized kamikaze attack of the war.

 

[Deleted member]

So I saw on Facebook that RV Petrel has started releasing photo's and video from their survey of/search for wrecks around Samar.

First of the photos/video is of the wreck of the St. Lo, who was lost to the first organized kamikaze attack of the war.

Well, she's an impressive if rather sad find, considering the ships that followed her. I really hope they find more of the wrecks from the main Battle off Samar, though.

 

[Bacle]

Well, she's an impressive if rather sad find, considering the ships that followed her. I really hope they find more of the wrecks from the main Battle off Samar, though.

They said the found over 60 'items of interest' or some such, and found St. Lo in May, so I think they probably found almost every wrecks, if not all.

The initial post a few weeks ago said they also found/did record breaking dives into the Philippine Trench, so even the wrecks others had thought unreachable may have been found and surveyed. They were going to be releasing footage and photo's on a continuing basis throughout the month leading up to the 75th anniversary.

 

[Deleted member]

RV Petrel has located and surveyed Kaga. She's upright and semi-intact.

Edit: Internet is weird right now, so cannot copy link, but it's up on RV Petrel's FB page and paulallen.com

I thought the main effort was at Samar!

 

[Bacle]

I thought the main effort was at Samar!

So did I.

Not sure when they found her, as the links aren't working on my mobile, but my guess is they surveyed the Midway battlefield on the way to Samar.

Still, I had thought she'd been hit so bad she broken up on the way down, as all we ever found before was some pieces from the flight deck, IIRC. Finding Kaga in this condition, or at all really, was not something I ever really expected.

 

[Deleted member]

So did I.

Not sure when they found her, as the links aren't working on my mobile, but my guess is they surveyed the Midway battlefield on the way to Samar.

Still, I had thought she'd been hit so bad she broken up on the way down, as all we ever found before was some pieces from the flight deck, IIRC. Finding Kaga in this condition, or at all really, was not something I ever really expected.

Have you ever read Tully’s “Shattered Sword”? I have a few ideas, but I want to reference it again tonight...

 

[Bacle]

Have you ever read Tully’s “Shattered Sword”? I have a few ideas, but I want to reference it again tonight...

No, I haven't yet. I think my father has a copy, but I'm still working my way through several other books about the war in the Pacific at the moment.

Also, finally found a link that is working and not suffering DDOS overload from people trying to view it.
Deep-sea explorers find wreck of Japanese Second World War aircraft carrier sunk in pivotal battle

 

[Deleted member]

No, I haven't yet. I think my father has a copy, but I'm still working my way through several other books about the war in the Pacific at the moment.

Also, finally found a link that is working and not suffering DDOS overload from people trying to view it.
Deep-sea explorers find wreck of Japanese Second World War aircraft carrier sunk in pivotal battle

So, basically, Kaga remained afloat longer than was originally thought, and until the end she had men in her engineering spaces fighting a hopeless battle to keep her afloat. Evacuations from Kaga with survivors continued long into the battle. This is certainly due to her provenance as a battleship: Her damage resilience was enormous. We can see the barbettes below where the flight deck and hangar were ripped off--the later additions to the ship shattered by heat of fire and explosions and separating as she sank, but the original, intact battleship hull plunging in one piece and revealing some of her ancestry on the bottom. I remember the story in Toland's Rising Sun about Yamamoto worrying that his former command would be towed back to San Francisco as a prize if they didn't sink her with torpedoes, and once the fires burned out...

 

[Bacle]

So, basically, Kaga remained afloat longer than was originally thought, and until the end she had men in her engineering spaces fighting a hopeless battle to keep her afloat. Evacuations from Kaga with survivors continued long into the battle. This is certainly due to her provenance as a battleship: Her damage resilience was enormous. We can see the barbettes below where the flight deck and hangar were ripped off--the later additions to the ship shattered by heat of fire and explosions and separating as she sank, but the original, intact battleship hull plunging in one piece and revealing some of her ancestry on the bottom. I remember the story in Toland's Rising Sun about Yamato worrying that his former command would be towed back to San Francisco as a prize if they didn't sink her with torpedoes, and once the fires burned out...

This is what she looked like just before the scuttled her; even then the battleship hull was visibly more intact than the flight deck addition. I expect those engineers were evac'd at this point (even the Japanese didn't scuttle ships without taking off every survivor they could first).

I think they could have saved her and towed her back once the fires were out, if not for the fear of more air attacks.

Also, I think you meant Yamamoto, not Yamato.

 

[Deleted member]

This is what she looked like just before the scuttled her; even then the battleship hull was visibly more intact than the flight deck addition. I expect those engineers were evac'd at this point (even the Japanese didn't scuttle ships without taking off every survivor they could first).

I think they could have saved her and towed her back once the fires were out, if not for the fear of more air attacks.

Also, I think you meant Yamamoto, not Yamato.

You are correct, I did; edited in the original post. Also, that picture is a reconstruction based on the description in Shattered Sword. Unfortunately, it's not clear or certain anyone knew there might be survivors aboard at the time she was scuttled.

I am very interested in the Japanese side of the battle; I might have an adoptive relative who fought there.

 

[Bacle]

Well, looks like RV Petrel is on a roll; they found Akagi yesterday. I think they plan to try to find all the IJN flattops lost at Midday before they head home.

 

[Deleted member]

Well, looks like RV Petrel is on a roll; they found Akagi yesterday. I think they plan to try to find all the IJN flattops lost at Midday before they head home.

I am not surprised, they should have a reasonable chance of finding Akagi and Soryu at least. Hiryu might be off somewhere else.

 

[Bacle]

I am not surprised, they should have a reasonable chance of finding Akagi and Soryu at least. Hiryu might be off somewhere else.

Akagi was found about 18nm away from Kaga.

Based on the sonar picture, she's far less intact and seems to have broke almost in half length-wise when she hit bottom

 

[Deleted member]

It was almost certainly torpedo damage from the scuttling. Akagi took four long lances, Kaga only two, and Kaga as a battleship had the better TDS.

 

[Captain X]

Hopefully they don't reveal the actual locations, since someone seems to be stealing old wrecks.

 

[PsihoKekec]

They are too deep, scavanged wrecks were in relatively shallow waters.

 

[Bacle]

They are too deep, scavanged wrecks were in relatively shallow waters.

See, that vastly underestimates the length certain nations *coughChinacough* would go to just to screw with Japan, and get precious pre-atomic steel.

 

[Deleted member]

You'd need the modern day version of the Glomar Explorer to have a chance. We're talking about 5.8 km deep. Most of the scavenged wrecks are in littoral waters around Malaysia and Indonesia at a depth of 70 meters or so.

 

[Bacle]

You'd need the modern day version of the Glomar Explorer to have a chance. We're talking about 5.8 km deep. Most of the scavenged wrecks are in littoral waters around Malaysia and Indonesia at a depth of 70 meters or so.

Yeah, and I wouldn't put it past China to do that, both for the steel and to screw with Japan.

They could also do it slowly piece by piece with ROVs from 'research subs' or the like. The CCP and Xi know not decency, rationality, or practicality when it comes to anything that can make China look more STRONK!

 

[Bacle]

Final Video from Petrel's Samar survey. They know they found a Fletcher, and think it's the Johnston herself. However the wreck is in so many pieces and so deep, that they cannot confirm whether it is the Johnston or Hoel at this time; paint on the debris suggests Johnston, but they are not sure yet.

RV Petrel FB Link