The US Navy destroyer USS Stewart (DD-224) steaming at high speed. Credit: U.S. Navy / Public Domain
Researchers have discovered the wreck of the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific” that served both the United States and Japan during World War II.
The USS Stewart, a destroyer, was found in early August. It rests about 3,500 feet (1,065 meters) deep in the ocean around 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of San Francisco, within the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
The ship was sunk in 1946 during target practice. US warplanes fired rockets, and a warship used shells to sink it. However, the exact location of the wreck remained unknown for years. It was recently found by three underwater robots, known as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), from the marine robotics company Ocean Infinity.
The New York Times reported that the underwater robots scanned a large area of the seafloor—37 square nautical miles, or about 49 square miles (127 square km)—in less than 24 hours.
“We covered it very quickly, and in high resolution,” said Andy Sherrell, the director of maritime operations at Ocean Infinity, in an interview with the newspaper.
USS Stewart during the Pacific War
The USS Stewart’s journey began as an American destroyer, labeled DD-224, sent to Borneo in late 1941, just before the US officially entered World War II.
During the first months of the Pacific War, it operated alongside other US warships, providing escort duties. However, its fate changed in February 1942 during the Battle of Badung Strait near Bali when Japanese warships caused severe damage.
‘Ghost Ship of the Pacific’ wreckage found sunk off California coast. Made its journey home to California from Japan. pic.twitter.com/PyXZnnQkQb
— Rennatta 💙🦋💙 (@Aleggra2) October 3, 2024
The damaged Stewart managed to make it to Surabaya, a port on the island of Java. However, with Japanese forces advancing, the crew decided to scuttle the ship, sinking it on purpose by using explosives.
A year later, the Japanese salvaged the destroyer, putting it back to use as a patrol boat for the Imperial Navy until the war ended in 1945.
After Japan’s surrender on September 2, 1945, the ship returned to US control. The US Navy briefly recommissioned it as DD-224, but it was in poor condition by that time. In May 1946, the vessel was officially decommissioned and then used for target practice.
Discovery and identification of the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific” in post-war Japan
The USS Stewart, often called the “Ghost Ship of the Pacific,” was spotted by American pilots behind enemy lines during World War II, as noted by Search, an archaeology company involved in its discovery.
The search also included efforts from the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Maritime Heritage program, and the US Navy.
The mystery of its whereabouts was finally resolved after the war ended when the ship was discovered in the Japanese port city of Kure near Hiroshima.
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