WWII warship USS Stewart found: A tale of two navies

Marine archaeologists have discovered the wreck of the only ship that fought on both sides during the Second World War. It served in the United States Navy and in the navy of its enemy, Japan. This discovery is expected to aid in understanding warship design of the 20th century.

The remains of the destroyer USS Stewart were found at a depth of approximately 1,070 metres in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, about 80 kilometres northwest of San Francisco. According to livescience.com, this is a ship that was sunk in 1946 during a shooting exercise involving missiles fired from American combat aircraft and a submarine.

Until now, its exact location was unknown. Three autonomous underwater vehicles located it within 24 hours, searching an area of about 127 square kilometres of the seabed.

USS Stewart began the war serving in the American Navy. It was designated as DD-224 and sent to Borneo in November 1941, shortly before the United States entered the Second World War. The Japanese severely damaged it near Bali in February 1942 during the Battle of the Badung Strait.

The ship returned to Surabaya on the island of Java, but the port was attacked by the Japanese. The vessel was deliberately scuttled by its own crew, who detonated charges in its hull. A year later, the ship was serving as a patrol boat for the Imperial Japanese Navy and remained so until the end of the war in 1945.

After the Japanese surrender, the ship returned to the American Navy. Although it was put back into service, it remained in poor condition. It was finally decommissioned in May 1946 and then used for shooting exercises.