Deepest shipwreck found by Vulcan's R/V Petrel

[@georgeellis3895]

My Uncle WILLIAM N. ELLIS died in the after- engine room when the first 18 inch Japanese shell hit DD557 GQ-JOHNNY... HOLLYWOOD needs to make a movie about the TIN-CAN SAILORS of SAMAR taking on the entire Japanese Navy! RIP UNCLE BILL! I have read and researched much...I have all his naval metals ..he is our family hero....this footage is a great blessing. THANK YOU ! George J. Ellis, Toledo Ohio.

[@robbiefrentz9427]

Watch in harms way with john Wayne. It depicts it in the end . All brave men much respect goes to them

[@rb67mustang]

Your Uncle was a True American Hero and a very Brave man. May the whole crew of the Johnston RIP.

[@johne.osmaniii7217]

Matthew Caughey I think Commander Evans was much smarter than that, he would not have gone after the Yamato 1st, he would’ve stripped it of its main protections 1st, then in the aftermath he might’ve went after it directly, ... yet the facts remain that he was no coward, for certain sure, ... what he, (and his whole crew), ... did the attack, knowing that they were not only outsized, & outgunned, just not out-fought, ... the courage of these men should have earned each, & every man the Medal of Honor, for they stood their stations, with the honor, integrity, & bravery of heroes, ...

[@demos113]

So long as the movie isn't like the Hollywood film of U-571 i'm all for it.

[@numberpirate]

Thank you for sharing this George. All too often you hear about these epic encounters, the bravery, the tenacity etc I have always wondered WTF went through the average guys mind in one of these situations, granted I am no closer to actually knowing but having a name, a family for an event like this makes it that much more tangable.

[@Ed17844]

As a Veteran of the United States Navy thank you for your efforts to find and document these ships lost during the battle. May the crew of these Ships Rest in Peace now. again thank you so very much for your efforts.

[@harrymurphey2634]

Capt Evans at the commissioning of the USS Johnson ... "This is a fighting ship, and I intend to take her in harm's way. And if you don't want to go along, you better get off now"... A captain that was good to his word ....

[@BlackAnvil47]

Something today leadership is lacking in the White House

[@ss442es]

Thanks for the work! The story of this battle is epic. These guys drove their destroyers into the gates of hell and won the battle. This was a David and Goliath if there ever was one.

[@randomrazr]

where the whole wreck?

[@chrisspalding1463]

@@randomrazr Like he said there wasn't any hull structure. The ship was so blown apart it was just a debris field.

[@randomrazr]

@@chrisspalding1463 any corpses?

[@scottparmer5718]

It's pretty amazing that we can see any part of it considering how deep she was. Great job gentleman.

[@bad74maverick1]

The Johnston is one of the most historically significant ships in our history. This Destroyer fended off a several other destroyers and battleships to give the convoy Taffy 3 a chance to escape. She and several other ships turned the entire Center line of the Japanese fleet allowing the Leyte landings. She received a presidential unit citation 6 battle stars and her commander won the Medal of Honor for the battle. Commander Evans called for an Abandon Ship, got into a raft and was never seen again.

[@dfor50]

It never stopped fighting!

[@manilajohn0182]

Perhaps you might provide an honorable mention to the 500-odd aircraft which contributed to the American victory.

[@robertyoung3992]

you don't win the MOH you are AWARDED the MOH

[@bad74maverick1]

@@robertyoung3992 You're not awarded the MOH you EARN the MOH. See I can argue semantics as well.

[@agustus66]

the pieces are a testament of the sheer hell and beating it took and the brave men that were on it

[@robertyoung3992]

to provide an update the main wreckage was located in a trench on March 31, 2021 at a depth of 21,180 relatively intact with her hull number 557 very clearly visible

[@nicksmth33]

If anyone doesn’t know why the johnston is important, the ship faced off against some of the largest battleships in the world and was destroyed while defending a small fleet called taffy 3

[@numberpirate]

Against some of? You mean the largest battle ship to ever float, IJN Yamato.

[@anibalcesarnishizk2205]

A small giant.

[@scocon8658]

Hey, if anyone wants a well-told story of the action at Samar, check out Drachinifel's Channel: "Battle of Samar: Odds? What Are Those?" Drachinifel also did a mini-doc on the Johnston where he said the Commander told the press "This is going to be a fighting ship." Yep, that it was.

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

@@numberpirate though Yamato at best, only gave partial attention to Johnston, Kongo on the other hand.... she gave Johnston much more attention.

[@bigbenstivers7717]

What tore the U.S.S. Johnstone apart ?

[@audacityHD]

Gentleman I know what ship your looking at thanks to information from my late grandfather. He was a pilot serving aboard the Kalinin bay flying during the battle. He flew the f4f and flew over the hoel and Johnston during the battle and after words as the Japanese task group withdrew. He said that he witnessed the hoel floundering by the port stern he witnessed what he said was like a bear mauled a deer. He said he could see significant damage to much of the ship but he spot of the raging ferno of her midships turret. Saying it looked like they put a round through the door. Didn’t know what that meant til now. He remarked how it was a shame to see such a “light dazzle” being ruined by fire and flames. Light meaning not as much surface covered it many patches but with few large dazzle paint patches including a black midships patch forward white with blue waves. He zoomed past the hoel as he tracked for his run against a cruiser but when I showed him a photo of Kongo he said it was that cruiser he dropped his charges against as it continued away from the carriers. After he dropped he returned to past the hoel and noted how it was rolling fast and as it went over and under he noted lots of “white chop” from where the ship went down meaning the ships munitions Cooked off after it rolled over. He took note of where the ship went under marking to the south. But he never truely knew cuz he didn’t set his compass before take off just loaded up and went due to the Japanese task force bearing down on them. He flew pas the Johnston of which he said look like it had been ripped apart but was holding her own and was “spitting” at the enemy with its remaining battery. From discussing with him before he pasted asking him how he knew the ships apart he said Johnston had a thick dazzle while hoel and a thin dazzle. Johnston having many different patterns while hoel had fewer bigger patterns. But he told specifically how the hoels midships hun was ripped open under the gun. How the forward 2nd gun was folded infront of the barrel. But mostly talked how it looked like she had been opened up like a tin can in some areas where larger shells just opened the hull up. But why it rolled over quickly and the exploded open as it went under form ammunition cooking off. I was 12 and heavy into ww2 history and couldn’t stop watching battle 360 haha. But I’m certain if the ship u found and the damage matching his story being the hoel. I can give u the better story if you guys like because I feel the story needs to b told and must b shown to all so we know where our hero’s and relatives now lie. If you’d like comment on my comment and I’d b happy to have the chat.

[@codyking4848]

Whichever one it is, Johnston or Hoel, man she sure is blown into tiny pieces. Very sobering. Rest in peace, all who sank on her.

[@BrettonFerguson]

If anyone ever finds the USS John Burke, she will be in smaller pieces and scattered over 100+ square miles of ocean. I doubt if anyone will find any pieces large enough to conclusively identify. If anyone can find any pieces at all.

[@codyking4848]

@@BrettonFerguson That would be S.S. John Burke. USS denotes warship. John Burke was a cargo ship.

[@jeffkersten5076]

@@codyking4848 I was on the Canisteo,an oiler,she was designated USS Canisteo A0-99...

[@andrewtaylor940]

The SS vs USS designations get weird at times. SS John Burke was a Liberty Ship operated by the merchant marine, hauling cargo (ammo) for the Navy. Whereas the USS Mount Hood was a Navy owned and operated ammo ship. (Both were vaporized in ammo explosions). To further muddle things, some ships like the Hospital Ships are USNS.

[@codyking4848]

@@jeffkersten5076 Yes - an oiler in US Navy service. So it was USS Canisteo. I shouldn't have said warship, per se. A US Navy ship is USS.

[@oceanmariner]

I served on a Fletcher DD-687 in the late 1960s. The ships only portholes are on the front and sides of the bridge. I think there were 9. There were square bridge and round bridge Fletchers, I don't know if they had the same number of ports. I don't remember any ports for the captain's cabin. The bridge doors to the wings had a fixed port. The structure with the holes looks like the framing in the bottom of the ship below the magazines and aft crew quarters. Could be from below the boilers. After steering has 2 motors/pumps side by side as you enter. There is lever to a single valve to switch between the motors.

[@rb67mustang]

First of all, thanks for your service. The Fletcher Class Destroyers during WW-II had only porthole windows and not many as you have said. Any square windows would have been a mod after WW-II. But what I think you're referring to is the open area around the bridge being enclosed and yes, they have square shaped possibly plexiglass in the modified openings. I'll find a couple of images and post links here. DD557 as seen as the thumbnail of this video. If you zoom in, all you see are the standard portholes. Sorry, youtube will not allow the link to the image, but here is the Johnston's page and the images can be seen here. www.navsource.org/archives/05/557.htm This page is the DD687 USS Ulhmann which is a square bridge Fletcher. DD687 during WW-II had only portholes and it was later modified as I mentioned. In 1954 DD687 still had not been modified yet, but in a photo labeled 1959/60, the open area was closed in and the rectangle windows can be seen. www.navsource.org/archives/05/687.htm

[@oceanmariner]

@Me Smith No. The bridge on Fletchers had no round, glass free ports. During WWII they were mostly the front of the exposed bridge, so they had to have glass. After WWII, the ships in commission had an open bridge added in front of the pilot house. Later a top and square windows were added to the open bridge. But the ports remained as communication between the OD and pilot house. In really bad weather the ports were closed. I talked thru those ports hundreds of times.

[@Dog.soldier1950]

To the bravery of the captain and her crew

[@andrewtaylor940]

There is something fitting about the USS Johnston being the deepest warship wreck ever found. The Johnston seemingly never did things halfway. If you have never heard the story of the Battle of Samar and the Tin Cans of Taffy 3, I would heartily recommend you look into it. It was perhaps the most lopsided naval battle in not just WW2, but in Naval history. And a small force of Destroyers and Jeep Carriers did the impossible. Naval Historian Drachinifel has a great piece on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/anLHlKl6nqZmoqc

[@usn4america368]

Visit bosamar.com . The site is dedicated entirely to the Battle off Samar and the ships and men of Taffy 3. So is James D.Hornfischer's book :The Last Stand of the TinCan Sailors" The Audible version is fantastic

[@robertphillips6296]

My father served on both USS Block Island's.

[@d0nKsTaH]

I saw that video... It was amazing. It was like a bunch of video game players from World of Warships went back in time and all charged into battle. Japanese were probably like.. wtf are they doing charging us? LOL Johnston shot every piece of ammo they had ... then.. rammed one!

[@andrewtaylor940]

d0nKsTaH When the Johnston finally was sinking one of the Japanese ships, the IJN Yukikaze pulled alongside with the crew lining the decks to salute and Honor the Johnston. The Japanese Captain was in awe of how they fought. In a final sign that Karma might just be a thing, and as you treat others, so will you be treated by the universe, the Yukikaze was remarkably one of the few Japanese ships to survive the war. The only Japanese Destroyer of her class to survive, and one of only three destroyers to survive. She participated in some of the most dangerous battles of the war. From Guadalcanal and Santa Cruz onwards to Operation Ten-Go. She was present and in the battle line when all three sisters, the Yamato, Musashi and a Shinano were sunk. She survived the war virtually unscathed, brought most of her crew home. And became known as the “Miracle Ship”. After WW2 she was given to the Taiwan Navy and served a few more decades there.

[@rybuds47]

Drach does her justice.

[@rb67mustang]

13:27, Blast shields were added after the Fletchers were in service, and I think every ship in the class received the mod at some point in their service. I think only the first and last 5" Gun (51in the bow and 55 at the stern) had blast shields because the 5" mounts behind them were not in an area that a blast shield was required.

[@davidhobson7652]

I'm definitely backing that up that the Gun captains blast shield are located on the first Bow 5.1inch turret and and furthest Stern 5.1inch.....as seen on USS Johnston's sister ship USS Hoel and they apparently appear as mid war modifications

[@robertyoung3992]

I could look that up for you we have the Fletcher Class Destroyer USS The Sullivans here in Buffalo

[@colonelsanders3388]

Can’t believe you found the Johnston…Outstanding job sir.

[@geronimo5537]

All of this appears to be external pieces which often fall out from a ship capsized sinking down. As she sank all of it fell out. The larger trench which was mentioned is most likely where the ship itself slid. If it is down in the trench I doubt we will ever see it. It would be neat to see some accurate sonar from in the trench of that area and maybe the ship itself is down there. Definitely want to see more from this wreck and long videos are always welcome.

[@markmark2080]

It's staggering to try and comprehend what this ship went through in the 3.5 hours before its pieces came to rest here, almost 4 miles below the scene of the horror. The many hits she received, the dead and injured throughout the ship, the horror of being in the engine room and other lower spaces during intense combat with everything possible closed up and secured during General Quarters. Although things were torn up enough that she sunk, there were still many sealed compartments as she went down, that as she drifted deeper, the pressure would crush, and tear the ship apart. It's amazing to be able to view these "remains" on this most sober of sites. The USS Johnston and her crew saved countless lives that fateful day, very much like the guy who threw himself on a hand grenade to save his buddies in the "foxhole"...

[@twstf8905]

The Petrel found the Wasp and the Hornet carriers in the South Pacific near Guadalcanal, East of the Solomon Islands a couple years ago as well. It's been a major contributor to history during its last few expeditions, very successful. 👍😊🇺🇸

[@Ken-xm1rf]

Thanks for doing this work. Great stuff. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

[@GlasgowGallus]

Incredible footage lads, respectfully done. Hats off to you gents 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

When she screamed into the ocean floor the impact must have been insanely harsh hence the total destruction of one heavily damage ship.

[@stonehartfloydfan]

that and the result of implosion of any areas still containing air.... but by the look of it I suspect an internal detonation or two went on as well on her way down, and in all honesty the Johnson took one hell of a hammering before she finally went down.

[@condorboss3339]

I only recently learned of Taffy 3. Those were brave men. From Wikipedia: "From Johnston's complement of 327 officers and men, only 141 were saved. Of the 186 men lost, about 50 were killed by enemy action, 45 died later on rafts from wounds, and 92 men-including Cmdr. Evans-got off before she sank, but were never seen again."

[@robbleeker4777]

That large piece you found at 9:53. This looks a bit like a piece out of the engine room.. The holes are definitely not port-holes or windows because I doubt they would place those so close to each other..Also the evidence of machinery, I also doubt that they would be place machinery behind port-holes My first reaction would be...The steel with the holes makes part of the structure that makes the keel of bottom of the ship. I do not know about naval ships but in my study I did learn that ships have quite often the oil tank in the bottom of the ship.. The holes could indicate such structure, they are there for a connecting flow between area's where the oil would flow between..Whatever it is, it is most definitely structural inside the ship and not external with windows, so no glass... :-)

[@madspartan9834]

Jesus Christ, the pressure at this depth must be completely off the scale, well the USS Johnston never did things halfway so it’s fitting that she became deepest shipwreck found so far!

[@steveholmes5207]

I should imagine at 6.2 kilometres depth the crushing weight would be around 7000 pounds per square inch i did watch a programme on bob Ballards discovery of the Bismarck and that figure was suggested but i am really not sure but to prove it they fitted a tin can to the ROV and below 5000 feet it was crushed to a fraction of it original size

[@madspartan9834]

Steve Holmes Jesus Christ, that’s fucking crazy!

[@coyote5735]

@@steveholmes5207 It's 14.7 PSI for every 33 feet of depth. so 6200 metres is 620 BAR x 14.7 = 9114 PSI or 1.3 million pounds per sq foot.

[@Imbeachedwhale]

That unidentifiable chunk around 9:30 is some type of machinery, as it's attached to bottom plating. I'd need a visit to a Fletcher museum to ID it, but perhaps the museum staff could find it in their own ships. But that gun mount aft is the key. Based on the shape, short ammunition hoist, and structure beneath the gun, this is Mount 54. Hoel reported her Mount 54 had half the barrel shot off at 0727, and this barrel is intact. This is Johnston. Most of the wreckage is clearly from the stern or would have been ripped off during the plunge. I expect the other target you found, but did not image, is the main hull, probably from Frame 110 forward (bulkhead between aft fireroom and forward engine room). The only two clear pieces forward of this you found were the mast and funnel, so this either broke up some distance away (and likely later in the plunge) or the forward section is in one piece. There may be another break in the forward fireroom, but that is not likely.

[@andrewtaylor940]

I saw someone on another video seemed to think that piece of machinery was a part of the steering mechanism, which would line up with what you are saying about it.

[@pyrokuda9743]

At what speed might the ship have plunged? So the forces of the ship passing though the water is enough to shred the metal that badly?

[@Losingsince]

Johnston had gun 52 blown off as well

[@andrewtaylor940]

Brad Briscoe once all buoyancy is lost they’ll fall at a real good rate of speed. And hit hard when falling 20,000 feet. But there are a lot of powerful forces going on as the ship sinks. The damage to the ship from the shells that sunk it. Pieces peeling off as it falls. Air pockets imploding with incredible explosive force shredding metal like paper, and the speed that it hits bottom. Just from how undisturbed the surrounding area is, that you can still see trenches in the seabed from when the ship sank, makes me think that the ship was pretty well broken up before it hit bottom.

[@huskydogg7536]

@@andrewtaylor940 Additionally depth charges tend to explode as water pressure intensifies.

[@johnsepulveda443]

rip to the sailers that lost their lives on this ship

[@robertyoung3992]

Sailors*

[@craigevan9649]

Amazing to see this wreckage of either “GQ Johnston” (general quarters) or the Hoel. Tin can fighting ships crewed by iron men!🇺🇸

[@maureenwhalen3505]

My name is James I was on the EF Larson when the Frank Evans was sunk by the HMS Melbourne. Why don’t you get pictures of front half of Evans resting place in the South China Sea ?

[@robertyoung3992]

The Hoel is 8,000 feet down

[@mustang10141980]

Very very interesting. R i p to those that died on the ship. Really shows how devastating the war really was. To have a ship completely blown to smithereens, really sends shivers down my spine.

[@tomw6559]

We can only pray that such men still defend us still today... They certainly gave the last full measure.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Trust me, they do.

[@stephenbritton9297]

Unidentified item speculated to be steering gear components: This makes a lot of sense. The steel with holes at the base looks like floors (for the unsalty - floors are the lateral structural members of the bottom of a ship, perpendicular to the keel) The area of the stern around the steering gear would have close arranged floors and would be arranged on the inner bottom (the deck placed ontop of the floors). Conversely, it could be any object in an area with close placed floors (commonly at the ends of the vessel and under heavy engineering components) such as sonar gear near the bow.

[@ninline2000]

Someone should make a movie about the USS Johnston. A brave crew who didn't care about the odds against them, only their duty. God bless them all.

[@philelsner105]

fair winds and following seas to the brave men of the uss johnston uss 557,and its gallant captain ernie evans.

[@HumphreyHorsehead]

Its strangely appropriate that the Johnston is the deepest shipwreck. Any other Destroyer would feel underwhelming for the role but the Johnston was the most extraordinary Destroyer of all time. She's more than earned her eternal rest in the deep.

[@hankdoughty4375]

After working 5 years on USS Kidd dd661 in BATON ROUGE LA. the barbett is a 5 inch barbett. The section you thought was steering gear is not there is no glass or portholes there. I think it is part of forward aft head bulkheads port side and 53 mount ready handling room. I was maintenance and very intimate with her details.

[@topturretgunner]

Thank you gentlemen for sharing this video. I think it quite likely that she is DD 557. The Johnston.

[@Ccccccccccsssssssssss]

Thanks for uploading this video!!

[@jalspach9215]

Looks like most wreckage is bridge/funnels/guns aft & including props & shaft. It's possible the trough they followed but extended too deep might've been made by a significant portion of keel & bow lying deeper yet to be discovered.

[@Nebraska214]

Why is that poor ship so ripped appart? Did it Explode or is it Crushed by the depth? The Part you came along at 9:29 could be part of the Aiming Seat of a Gun Turret.

[@drunkslav]

also the Johnston received huge amounts of damage before sinking, she was fighting battleships and heavy cruisers and got hit by big shells this and the deep of the shipwreck may be the cause of the bad conditions of the shipwreck

[@Nebraska214]

Well think about there must be many air inside some parts of the ship, when it falls very deep the pressure is so high that it crushes the air filled compartments, the same happened to hms hood, and think this was only a destroyer, not as thick hull as a battleship or a carrier

[@Charles-xe2qh]

It seems as though only two things could have reduced the ship to such fragments: (a) a lot of enemy shell / torpedo hits which blew various parts off the ship before it sank (b) massive internal explosions. I've never seen a wreck reduced to such fragments before.

[@craigpalmer9196]

how fast was it going when it hit bottom? to the crew well done, you did good !

[@waltershumate5777]

while Johnston Is a hero ship, she didn't stand alone. One of the other destroyers that day was hit with a salvo by one of the battleships. By the time the smoke cleared from the hit the ship was already gone. I think that old flush Decker is what you found there. You're definitely in the right area though! DD557 is the Maker's Hallmark you're looking for.

[@mattfarahsmillionmilelexus]

The parts are in amazingly well preserved condition, I've seen cars pulled from lakes after 3-4 years submerged that don't look anywhere near as good. I guess at twice the depth of the Titanic, nothing lives; not even bacteria.

[@taproom113]

They cut out the part of the video that caught Chuck Norris snorkeling the wreck ... barefoot.

[@williamstall4420]

The deeper you go the less oxygen there is in the super pressurized water. So no oxygen, no rust

[@c.j.cleveland7475]

@@taproom113 😂😆😁👏👏

[@fw1421]

Other than being blown up this ship is in remarkable condition. Corrosion is minimal.

[@rahnlawson9463]

My father served on the USS Anderson which was a Fletcher Class Destroyer.

[@robertyoung3992]

The USS Hoel sank 8,000 feet down during the same battle

[@sierravictorromeo7955]

Gentlemen : I’m not an expert on Fletcher Class Destroyers but have been on the USS KIDD in Baton Rouge a number of times. I think the item you are looking at at 10:14 is the bridge just below the radar housing. The way the windows/portholes are structured makes me think it was blown off the vessel and (crushed(??) at that depth .

[@georgesherfick2444]

What mechanism explains the utter devatation of all these pieces..Was it pulverized on the surface by explosion of was it ripped about in the fall to such great depth ?

[@samstewart4807]

Are any of the surviving crew still alive?

[@NewEnglandLogger860]

It looks like a lot of shrapnel damage in some of the turrets but was it the battle that destroyed the hull or the combination of taking on water and pressure that shredded it that bad, basically I'm asking if a normal ship capsized would it be in this rough of shape at that depth? it's amazing how much it was ripped apart before settling at its current position.

[@audacityHD]

Btw gents that’s the steering gear u found there u can tell by the pistons located near the middle of the wreckage it should b horizontal but it’s ripped apart also that barbet u found that he said maybe torps was the number 2 forward barbet the raised one to fire over the no.1 5inch gun.

[@wackowacko8931]

@9:30, definitely the pilot house, probably starboard side, not the ship's wheel but might be the compass.

[@chadjones4956]

God speed gentlemen into forever peace and we have the watch. All ahead full.

[@ditzydoo4378]

at the 9:42 mark there is only one place on a Fletcher class Destroyer that has a cluster of evenly spaced port-holes like this. And that would be the Bridge/Pilot-House.

[@ericlakota6512]

Being a iron worker welder its so impresive to ripe the chunks of a ship off like it s made from fiberglass is some shure power . that wasent small 1/4 plate

[@HollywoodGraham]

Heros every crew member!!!!!!

[@vonclod123]

Never seen a ship so ripped apart..I guess there might be a bigger structure not yet found? Haunting images!

[@pollyskirt1]

That is the most torn apart twisted pieces of a shipwreck Ive ever seen

[@Mike44460]

Very interesting, thank you the detail.

[@pat8593]

enemy fire didn't do that damage . her ammo store must have blown up. whole ship shredded . anyone know?

[@RLD_Media]

So they found the Johnston, and Sammy B - would this actully be the Hoel?

[@billylozito1789]

safe to say that this ship exploded , but at the surface or on the way down?

[@cobraxspeed]

9.45 Looks maybe to be part of bridge and a pieced of Director resting or compacted on top of it ?

[@jebbroham1776]

Damn! Johnston was blown apart...

[@robertyoung3992]

no she wasn't her main wreckage was found in a trench (Hull #557) identifies her as the Johnston at a depth of 21,180 feet

[@kevinfox6584]

The one piece of wreckage with numerous portholes ( some with glass ) I believe to be the bridge. Its folded up ...but think that might be the answer

[@billl7548]

Amazing images. Thank you for sharing

[@keighlancoe5933]

HMAS Vampire is down in the Mariana Trench somewhere, sadly she'll probably never be found.

[@harrymurphey2634]

Update: They have located the rest of the Johnston ... when she hit the bottom at the edge of the trench, she slide down much deeper ... but she is there w/ her "Hull #'s" showing and upright ...

[@randallfawc7501]

Than kind of destruction and tearing apart of the ship indicates to me the ships ammo stores ignited.

[@OFCbigduke613]

@Starbright Wingtips Yeah I figured implosion due to the depth.

[@rongreen8485]

The brave sailors went down fighting, may you rest in peace. I can't believe what I'm seeing, that ship literally was shredded.

[@RobertRVinas-vz1ix]

Could be the USS Johnston was not completely flooded when she sank and when she dropped below 2 to 3 hundred feet the Johnston imploded...?

[@elementgypsy]

All these are fascinating.

[@MJLeger-tz4so]

The oceans and seas cover about 3/4ths of our Planet Earth, and so far, less than .05% of them have been charted, but with advanced scientific sonar and other technology today, we are discovering more and more about what is below the surface of all that water! We send robots and cameras down there, and are learning the fate of vessels long beyond our memory! RIP to all those brave souls who were lost along with those ships. I hope as we discover more and more, we treat those areas with the respect due those lost at sea!

[@robertyoung3992]

they found her main wreckage in a trench on March 30,2021 with her hull number 557 visible and relatively intact at a surprising depth of 21,180 feet

[@cros99]

It's such a shame that so many young people today have so little knowledge and so little caring about people who gave their lives to protect us ALL. Even with all the freedom they were given, it's not enough and they want more. R.I.P my brothers.

[@sreed8570]

its as if it sank with air in all the compartments to have blown apart like it is. ie: implosion damage.

[@johnkenley4687]

I mean thats also what an 18" shell will do.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

As many hits in near misses as the Johnston took, not too many compartments would be watertight. During abandoned ship a lot of compartments in fact would be left open. In that situation you don't take the time to dog the hatch behind you.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Implosion is more like a crushed beer can. Explosion is the opposite direction

[@MrLotrecht]

Astonishing how less rust is there.OK less O² no light..... but its a really creepy thing watching these pictures!

[@zaphodbeeblebrox6627]

So is the total devastation of this ship caused by the magazine being hit & detonating or catastrophic implosion as the ship sank?

[@MrOlgrumpy]

Looks more like a magazine explosion than implosion from pressure

[@michaeldesroches6671]

I belive that all ammunition onboard was actually expended before it went down?

[@Mr.-Wint]

It is believed that the main hull slid further down yet to be found..

[@robertyoung3992]

no her magazines were empty, it was more than likely crushed b y the pressure

[@robertyoung3992]

@@MrOlgrumpy in that case explosion

[@clifforddodson5459]

That ship is in pieces can’t even tell what she was. Just a war ship because of the gun turrets. Wow !

[@johnnybirdwell6968]

I believe that they found gun 2,3, and 4. And possibly the after steering. May the men who died in her rest in peace!

[@seanathair432]

Ive never seen a ship so Shredded! Just Horrific

[@robertyoung3992]

on March 30th 2021 the main wreckage the front 1/3 of the including the distinctive hull number 557 identifying her as the USS Johnston was found nearly intact in a trench @ a depth of 21,180 feet below the surface off the east coast of Samar

[@grahampalmer9337]

Completely fragmented hull structure. I assume this is because she sank quickly; probably vertically; retaining some internal 'pressure' - & imploded dramatically at depth, as with a submarine exceeding safe depth.

[@roysnider3456]

That shape down the side of the shelf looked like a whole other ship and if that’s the case then the debris we see in the video may be pieces of 2 ships?

[@ishmaelsykes9739]

I am not understanding why is destroyer is so shredded

[@CanadaKeith]

Any ship sinking into waters that deep would have been shredded and twisted by the pressure of the water depth in any case.

[@taraswertelecki7874]

Not necessarily, Bismark is 17,000 feet deep and the main hull's in one piece because it was full of water before any compartments imploded.

[@kbc-jr9266]

USS Samuel now holds the record.

[@seeker1432]

This ship was smashed into shreds. The crew must of gone through the worst experiance possible. R.I.P brave heros.

[@robertyoung3992]

her main wreckage mainly intact lies in a trench at 21,180 feet

[@rogersmart1766]

Are you telling me that ship lies at a depth of ATleast 20,500 feet?

[@PhillinFreeTime]

why isnt there any hull structure left? Is it possible that it had a couple of compartments that contained air and it violently imploded on the way down? I know it wouldn't take but 2 - 3000 cubic feet of air (about the size of a few large bedrooms in a house) to cause an "explosion" that would be equivalent to that of a 500 pound bomb.. but that "bomb" would be going off in the center of the ship.. think what happened to arizona when the AP Bomb penetrated the ship and went off internally, same concept here except it was air pressure here, not a bomb. also, @14:30 it would be absolutely amazing if they could bring that turret up in one piece... it belongs in a museum somewhere. For some families of men on the, Johnston, that is the closest they'd ever get to receiving a body to be buried.

[@DarthFritter1]

20K feet down. Wow!!!!

[@jerrymccrae7202]

The debris unknown could be the coupla firing station for the torpedo tubes.

[@timjones1583]

Must have hit the bottom with a hell of a lot of force.

[@Beemer917]

How much of this damage is uh , baro - trauma ,and how much is battle damage?

[@petebiddle7900]

What caused the total break up of this ship? Titanic is deeper, but did not look like it exploded as does this ship.

[@roadweary5252]

Pete Biddle titanic is 12,000 feet, this vessel is at 20,000 feet

[@robertyoung3992]

this wreckage is at 20,409 feet Titanic 12,500

[@robertyoung3992]

the Johnston's main wreckage lies at 21,180 feet

[@holeinsock1000]

If this ship had a double hull it could have held air during sinking the water pressure would have compressed the air is the hull and caused the ship to implode and than explode i seen this on another ship wreck and there was nothing left but pieces of metal

[@1planenut62]

Must've been one heck of an explosion. Looks like all the munitions went up over the whole ship!!

[@JoeBLOWFHB]

Actually this is what losing your engines in the middle of battle against a far superior force looks like. She took about 20 minutes of repeated pounding from naval rifles ranging from 6"-18". This ship had no armor to speak of and is actually what saved it early in the fight. The Japanese assumed these ships were armored cruisers so their first salvos of armor piercing shells just punched small holes. Once the Japanese switched to HE rounds they started tearing the DD's and DE's apart.

[@alanslater4206]

@@JoeBLOWFHB I don't think a high velocity 18inch shell smashing through the hull would be condiered small to those on board.

[@fw1421]

Dear God she was blown to pieces! 🙀🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@brownwrench]

Is there nothing left in the shape of a ship? Just mangled shreds here.

[@roadweary5252]

BROWNWRENCH BROWN no structure remaining

[@douglasstreet7304]

Is it possible after all the hits her magazines cooked off ?

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

If the present day USN had any pride it would be sending down its own R/Vs to photograph every inch of this historic war grave. The heroes of the battle deserve a memorial proportional to their sacrifice. I wonder if there is a single officer among the current crop of careerists and promoters worthy of even saluting the heroes who went down on this ship. What would Commander Evans think of the crew of the Navy cruiser that shot down a passenger airplane full of civilians on a scheduled flight in peacetime? Heroes and cowards, fame and shame.

[@konnorsaul7230]

Maybe the rest of ship is Inside the mud that’s my thought or maybe the rest of the ship and said the trench and you were seeing pieces of the ship that came off on its way down

[@bwsettle1]

Fascinating. I've never seen a wreck so decimated. Maybe her magazine was hit?