SS Montevideo Maru

April 24, 2023

The Montevideo Maru was a ship that sunk during World War II, resulting in the loss of about 1,060 prisoners of war and civilians from 14 different countries. For 81 years, the wreckage of the ship remained elusive, until a recent discovery by the Silentworld Foundation, led by Captain Roger Turner, a technical director and submarine specialist who spent years researching the wreck.

The Tragic History of the Montevideo Maru

The Montevideo Maru was a Japanese cargo ship that was used to transport prisoners of war and civilians during World War II. On July 1, 1942, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine in the South China Sea. The ship was carrying about 979 Australian troops and civilians, as well as prisoners from other countries, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, among others. Tragically, no one on board survived the sinking, and it became one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Australian history.

The Recent Discovery

After 81 years of being lost at sea, the wreckage of the Montevideo Maru was discovered by the Silentworld Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to maritime archaeology and exploration. The team, led by Captain Roger Turner, used bottom contour mapping and an autonomous underwater vehicle to identify the obstacles on the sea floor and locate the wreck. The discovery was a significant breakthrough, as it shed light on the final resting place of the long-lost ship and provided closure for the families of the victims.

Details of the Discovery

The team that discovered the Montevideo Maru wreck was able to match parts of the wreckage with the drawings of the ship, including the hold, the foremast, and the curve of the bow. This confirmation helped to positively identify the wreck as the Montevideo Maru, putting an end to decades of speculation and uncertainty. However, despite the significance of the discovery, the wreck will not be disturbed, and human remains and artifacts will not be removed from the site out of respect for the victims and their families.

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