The wreckage of a lost World War II Japanese transport ship has been uncovered at a depth of more than 4,000m off the coast of the Philippines.

Dutch geo-data specialist Fugro used deepwater hydrographic and oceanographic expertise to successfully identify the shipwreck of the Montevideo Maru. The sinking is considered Australia’s worst maritime disaster due to the number of Australians who died on board. The firm worked alongside the non-profit maritime history organisation Silentworld Foundation and the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Society, with support from Australia’s Department of Defence.

The Montevideo Maru was carrying approximately 1,060 allied prisoners of war and civilians when it was sunk by an American submarine in 1942 during World War II. The tragedy resulted in fatalities from at least 14 countries, including Australia, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, Japan, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Solomon Islands, Sweden and the US.

Montevideo Maru

On 6 April 2023, 110 km north-west of Luzon in the Philippines, the Fugro team started the search onboard the Fugro Equator, one of the world’s most advanced and well-equipped hydrographic survey vessels. Deploying an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with an in-built sonar, a positive sighting was recorded after just 12 days. Verification of the wreck came a few days later using expert analysis from the project team, which comprised maritime archaeologists, conservators, operations and research specialists, and ex-naval officers.

“The discovery of the Montevideo Maru closes a terrible chapter in international military and maritime history,” says John Mullen, director of the Silentworld Foundation. “Today, by finding the vessel, we hope to bring closure to the many families devastated by this terrible disaster. I would like to express my gratitude to all of the dedicated Silentworld team involved in this expedition, to the outstanding Fugro crew and technical team onboard the Fugro Equator, and to the Australian Department of Defence for their unwavering support.”

Montevideo Maru

Mark Heine, CEO of Fugro, adds: “This maritime tragedy involved many countries and families, and all paid a terrible price. I’m proud that our skills and technology can help find resolutions to historical projects such as this and, in this way, make a real difference to people’s lives.”

In 2022, MIN reported that a medieval shipwreck had been discovered in Norway’s largest lake. Archaeologists working for the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment made the discovery while hunting for unexploded WWII ammunition and say it is one of the country’s oldest-ever shipwrecks.

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