4 Mysterious WWI & WWII Shipwrecks You Need to See
Fascinating WWII shipwrecks and their untold stories.
The chaotic World War Two era was marked by fierce naval battles and heartbreaking casualties.
Countless ships sank because of these battles, and this left a trail of submerged wrecks that are still in search of their home at the bottom of the ocean.
These shipwrecks continue to awe people worldwide because each one has a distinct and compelling tale to tell.
These historical accounts provide an inspirational way to remind us of the valiant men and women who served their nations and gave their lives in defense of their beliefs during the Second Great War.
These historical accounts have had a significant influence on the world we live in today.
1. The Controversial Sinking Of USS Indianapolis
One of the most terrible and disturbing episodes in American naval history is the Japanese submarine sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945.
While only 300 crew members died in the initial sinking, the survivors’ subsequent four-day ordeal is almost beyond comprehension.
These men had to deal with saltwater poisoning, dehydration, and constant shark attacks, with some survivors describing a sea so thick with sharks that it looked as if they could walk on their backs.
When rescue finally arrived, only 316 of the nearly 1,200 crew members were alive.
What makes this tragedy all the more heartbreaking is that the Navy’s radio silence excuse for the delayed rescue was not true.
The truth was far worse, as incompetence and negligence among commanders led to the rescue’s delay.
At least three “SOS” messages were received but ignored, with one commander reportedly too drunk to act, another ordering his men not to disturb him, and a third dismissing the distress calls as a Japanese prank.
The remains were recovered after a very long time; in 2017, the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis was discovered by an expedition funded by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
2. Famous Ships Lost On The Order Of Winston Churchill
Repulse on the left and Prince of Wales on the right while departing on 8th of December 1941. (Image Source — Wiki I / Wiki II
Under the direction of Admiral Tom Phillips, the British Royal Navy’s “Force Z” — which included the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, the heavy cruiser HMS Prince of Wales, and destroyers — sailed towards the Pacific in 1941.
Under the directive of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, they were sent on a mission to strengthen the British naval presence.
Just a day after leaving Singapore, Japanese bombers spotted Force Z and launched an attack with 86 fighter planes armed with bombs and torpedoes.
Despite the Repulse evading 19 torpedoes, it was hit by four and capsized, killing 508.
The Prince of Wales took a torpedo hit and a bomb, sinking and taking 317 down with it.
It was HMS Vampire and HMS Electra who came to the rescue of 228 from the Prince of Wales, and 796 survivors from the Repulse.
The wrecks remain in the South China Sea, protected, but evidence of damage from illegal salvage operations has been found.
3. The Day USS Houston and HMAS Perth Sank
USS Houston on the left and HMAS Perth on the right. (Image Source — Wiki I / Wiki II)
It was a dark day in history when the USS Houston and HMAS Perth vanished from the Java Sea in the early hours of March 1, 1942. One day before the tragedy the two ships had taken part in the Battle of the Java Sea, the biggest naval conflict since World War I. Low on fuel and ammunition, they desperately tried to escape to the Indian Ocean, fearing that any further encounter could be their last.
As they entered the Sunda Strait in Indonesia, Japanese submarines and battleships closed in on them.
The Perth was the first to go, struck by four torpedoes shortly after midnight.
The Houston followed soon after, hit by four more torpedoes at around 1 a.m.
Out of theHouston’s crew, only about one-third, or 368 men, survived, and 324 from the HMAS Perth also managed to make it out alive.
Most were captured and sent to prison camps, while four sailors from the HMAS Perth escaped and evaded capture.
While the wreckage of the Perth was found in 1967, the USS Houston’s wreckage was found much recently in 2014.
Sadly, it was later revealed that both ships had fallen victim to illegal salvage operations.
4. AHS Centaur Destroyed Purposely
During World War II, hospital ships were off-limits targets for both the Allies and the Axis powers.
However, despite the clear rules, many of them were sunk. Attackers often claimed that the markings, often red crosses, on hospital ships were difficult to spot from far off.
But in the case of the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, there was no such excuse.
In February 1943, the Swiss informed Japanese officials that the Centaur would be commissioned as a hospital ship, complete with three large red crosses and a thick green band around the hull.
Against a white background, these markings were impossible to miss.
On May 14, 1943, the Centaur was evacuating wounded troops from New Guinea to Australia. It was alone and unescorted by a warship.
In the early morning, Captain Hajime Nakagawa of the Japanese submarine I-177 fired a single torpedo at the ship’s left side.
The ship sank so quickly that there was no time to abandon ship or release any lifeboats.
Only 64 of the original 332 onboard survived, including only one nurse, Sister Ellen Savage.
The wreck of AHS Centaur was discovered in 2009, by an American oceanographer off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
Final Words
The past is filled with conflicts between nations in which humans were on both sides, and at the end of the day, the Earth was large enough to accommodate all of them still they chose to fight.
The sad part is that the world hasn’t changed much, and where we spend billions of dollars on defense, why can’t we spend it on those who need it?
The shipwrecks serve as a reminder that no matter how advanced we build things, they are still doomed to be lost sooner or later, as was the case with all of these mega-ships.
It would be incredible to see all nations living in peace and investing in things that will propel humanity forward.
Let’s conclude things with the famous line of Wutaro Kato — imagine if the whole world lived in peace.
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