Natalia Chi
A wreck off Japan’s Okinawa coast is that of the US Navy destroyer Manat L. Abel, which was sunk by a “man-made kamikaze bomb” during World War II, officials said Thursday.
craft, Named after an American submarine commanderIt was the first U.S. warship to be sunk by a Japanese suicide rocket. Naval History and Heritage Command. She sank on 12 April 1945 while sailing about 125 miles off the north coast of the island. Several Japanese aircraft were spotted on the ship’s radar and the two engaged, the warship damaging several aircraft, one of which crashed into the warship.
The collision damaged the ship, followed by a “rocket-powered man-guided bomb” hitting the ship near the waterline. The Naval Heritage Command said the explosion “rapidly bent the bow and stern.”
According to Command, 84 American sailors died in the sinking.
U.S. National Archives, Office of Ship Collections
The command’s Underwater Archaeology Division said the shipwreck’s identity was confirmed thanks to information provided by ocean explorer Tim Taylor, chief executive of ocean technology firm Tiburon Subsea. . Taylor also runs the Lost 52 Project, an underwater archaeological project dedicated to identifying and finding lost battleships of World War II.
a News release on the Lost 52 Project website He said the Manat L. Abel discovery was “very personal” for Mr. Taylor. Taylor’s father served in the US Navy and said he witnessed a similar kamikaze attack on his own ship.
“My father suffered the same fate as the Abel crew a few days ago,” Taylor said in a statement. “This was a very emotional discovery for me that united my father and me.”
U.S. National Archives, Office of Ship Collections
Little information was provided as to how Taylor and Command identified the ship. In a news release, the command said the wreck is protected by U.S. law and is under Navy jurisdiction. The military command said the wreck should also be considered a war grave because of the soldiers who died in the sinking.
”Manath L. Abel “This is the final resting place of the 84 American sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country,” retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox, commander, said in a news release, “Tim Taylor. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and congratulations to Mr. His team for discovering this sinking site. This discovery has allowed the families of the lost to make some resolutions and has given us all new opportunities to remember and honor them. ”
The news comes about a month after a team of explorers announced their discovery. sunken japanese ship In 1942, a torpedo attack off the Philippines killed over 1,000 people.
Kelly Breen
