TOKYO - A shipwreck thought to be the Teruzuki, an Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer, was recently found on the seabed off Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, according to a US marine survey team.

The survey team, which includes Japanese researchers, conducted the search off the South Pacific Ocean island, where one of the deadliest battles in the Pacific War took place.

The Teruzuki sank in December 1942 while transporting supplies to Japanese soldiers on Guadalcanal, the largest island of the Solomon Islands.

During the War, the Japanese and US militaries fought fiercely for the airfields and other military facilities on the island. On the Japanese side, more than 20,000 soldiers died on the island, and many of them starved to death.

In addition to starvation, many died of malaria and other diseases. In Japan, Guadalcanal has been called “Gato” (island of starvation).

“Seeing the warship helps us understand the hopeless situation faced at that time,” said one of the Japanese researchers.

The 134m long Teruzuki was built in August 1942 and was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s second Akizuki-class destroyer.

In December that year, the ship was hit and immobilised by US torpedoes while escorting warships carrying food and other supplies to the island.

It was the Teruzuki’s own crew that ultimately sank the ship, and about 10 crew members who were unable to escape died.

According to the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET), the US marine research organization which conducted the survey, the shipwreck believed to be the Teruzuki was found in a sea area known as the Iron Bottom Sound, an area where many warships sank.

The OET conducted the search with an unmanned underwater vehicle on July 11, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, with assistance from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The main part of the shipwreck was found on the seabed 800m under water, and the broken stern of the ship’s body was found at another location about 200m away.

The damage on the ship matches testimonies of former crew members who survived the sinking, and the numbers and positions of gun turrets are the same as on the Teruzuki.

Two Akizuki-class destroyers, including the Teruzuki, sank in sea areas off the Solomon Islands, according to war records. As the other destroyer has already been found, the researchers concluded that the shipwreck was the Teruzuki.

At the time of the sinking, Japan had lost air superiority over the Pacific Ocean, so supplies to Guadalcanal were cut off.

The Imperial Japanese Navy began transportation missions using destroyers, a highly maneuverable type of ship capable of sailing at fast speeds, to transport supplies in place of transport ships, which sail at lower speeds. However, most of the operations failed.

“The Teruzuki symbolizes the Japanese military’s hardships in overcoming the desperate supply problem,” said Hiroshi Ishii, a program-specific researcher of Kyoto University’s Centre for Southeast Asian Studies who participated in the marine survey.

The OET had another success in 2023 when it took photos of wrecks of the Akagi, an aircraft carrier that was sunk in the Battle of Midway in 1942.

“People can understand the reality of war by seeing photos of sunken ships and other evidence, and (finds like this) can help console the souls of soldiers who died,” said Professor Kotaro Yamafune, a visiting professor of Kyoto Tachibana University who studies shipwreck archaeology.

Mr Kazushige Todaka, director of the Yamato Museum in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, said: “The Teruzuki was one of the rare destroyers that were designed for anti-aircraft warfare.

“The original shape is still in excellent condition, and considering the appearance of the gun turrets, there’s no doubt it’s the Teruzuki.” JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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