The wreck of the USS Johnston, a U.S. Navy destroyer lost during World War II, has finally been identified nearly 77 years after it sank during the Battle off Samar. Deep-sea explorers confirmed the ship’s identity after capturing images of the hull number “557” more than four miles below the surface of the Philippine Sea.
The discovery ends years of uncertainty surrounding the wreck and brings new attention to one of the most dramatic naval battles of the war. Preserved in remarkable condition at a depth of 21,180 feet, the ship remains a powerful reminder of the crew’s final stand against a much larger Japanese fleet.
The destroyer was first located in 2019, though researchers could not determine whether the wreck belonged to USS Johnston or its sister ship, USS Hoel. That changed during a new expedition led by explorer and retired Navy officer Victor Vescovo, whose team used the submersible Limiting Factor to reach the site and document the wreck in detail. The latest dives produced clear images of the hull number, along with views of the ship’s bridge, gun mounts, and torpedo launchers.
A Battle Fought Against Impossible Odds
On October 25, 1944, USS Johnston was part of a small American naval group known as Taffy 3, assigned to protect escort carriers near the Philippines. The group suddenly came under attack from a far more powerful Japanese fleet that included battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.
According to the Navy History and Heritage Command reported by U.S. Naval Institute News, the Japanese force included the massive battleship Yamato, equipped with 18-inch guns. Despite the imbalance, Johnston’s commander, Cmdr. Ernest Evans, ordered his ship to charge directly at the enemy fleet.
During the fight, the destroyer managed to damage the Japanese heavy cruiser Kumano before taking repeated hits itself. Evans was badly wounded but continued commanding the ship as the battle intensified. Even after Johnston ran out of torpedoes, the crew kept firing with the remaining 5-inch guns.
After more than two hours of combat, the destroyer was left disabled and surrounded by enemy ships. Evans gave the order to abandon ship shortly before Johnston rolled over and sank. Of the 327 crew members onboard, only 141 survived. Evans later received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.
The Deepest Wreck Dive Ever Completed
The expedition that confirmed the wreck’s identity also became one of the deepest wreck dives ever conducted. As stated by the Caladan Oceanic, Vescovo completed two dives lasting around eight hours each aboard the Limiting Factor submersible.
The images collected during the mission show how well the wreck has survived despite spending decades underwater. Much of the visible damage still appears linked to the battle itself rather than deterioration over time. The ship’s extreme depth and the cold conditions of the trench likely helped preserve it.
Researchers documented several sections of the destroyer, including the bridge structure and deck-mounted equipment. The team also collected sonar scans and other data that were later provided to the U.S. Navy free of charge.
At the end of the expedition, the crew aboard the support ship DSSV Pressure Drop held a small tribute near the battle site, sounding the ship’s whistle and placing a wreath in the water for the sailors who died there.
A Protected War Grave Beneath the Ocean
Today, the wreck of USS Johnston is protected under the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004, which prevents unauthorized salvage operations on U.S. military wrecks. The site is considered both a historical location and a war grave.
As mention inPopular Mechanics report, the retired Rear Adm. Sam Cox, director of the Navy History and Heritage Command, the ship’s story remains an example of “honor, courage, commitment, and valor.” Historians continue to study the Battle off Samar because of the extraordinary imbalance between the small American force and the larger Japanese fleet it confronted.
The new imagery gives historians and archaeologists a closer look at the destroyer without disturbing the wreck itself.
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