A group of treasure hunters recently decided to go magnet fishing in the river near Fort Stewart. Their underwater discoveries included ammunition and 86 rockets. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources fined the group because of their dangerous exhibition and decision to unearth possibly explosive materials. But their discoveries make us wonder: What other crazy things lie beneath the surface? How many wonders of the deep connect to our military?
This isn’t the first time someone’s found an insane military arsenal underwater. Everything from shipwrecks to missiles has been uncovered. Here are some of the craziest underwater discoveries to-date.
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6 Surprising Military Underwater Discoveries
It’s easy for ships and materials to get lost in the depths of the ocean. Forgotten submerged stories lay dormant beneath the surface for years. That is, until someone stumbles across them.
1. Sunken Navy Submarine USS R-12
It was June 1943 when the USS R-12 sank off the Florida Keys coast. The lost U.S. Navy submarine was a resting place for around 42 men. Hearts were broken, and family members waited for years for their lost loved ones to resurface. Ocean explorer Tim Taylor led the team that rediscovered the sunken Navy Submarine around 2010.
The R-12 was the oldest submarine from WWII. It was originally built in 1918 and was last known to be test-launching torpedoes. When it began the dive, the forward battery compartment flooded. The submarine quickly sank, trapping 42 men with it.
The discovery of the sunken Navy submarine helped families of the passed Soldiers find closure.
2. Chuuk Lagoon Ghost Fleet
Chuuk Lagoon is the world’s largest ghost fleet. It was located in the Pacific Ocean near Micronesia. The area now stands as a resting place for WWII sunken ships.
The Japanese used Chuuk Lagoon (originally referred to as Truk Lagoon) as a main base of operations. But Operation Hailstone left Japanese ships destroyed. To this day, hundreds of Japanese ships, military machines, and cargo (tanks, automobiles, motorcycles, guns, and so forth) rest on the ocean floor.
The Chuuk Lagoon Ghost Fleet is a popular diving area now. Divers can immerse themselves in the memory of World War II, seeing firsthand an underwater graveyard for a fleet. The site is also referred to as the Truk Lagoon National Monument.
3. The 1946 Corsair Plane
Located in the waters of Oahu, Hawaii, the 1946 Corsair Plane rests on the ocean floor. The Chance Vought F4U ran out of fuel while on a training mission. The pilot survived, but the plane went down. The wreckage acts as an amazing underwater discovery for adventurous divers. Check out this footage of a dive from this underwater discovery:
4. The HMS Stubborn Submarine
There are a lot of WWII underwater discoveries. The rich history of the war leaves a lot to be unearthed. The HMS Stubborn (Malta) is a sunken submarine from WWII. The submarine was launched in the early 1940s and was sunk in 1946 as part of a submarine sonar training program.
5. USS Grayback
One of the best underwater discoveries has to be the USS Grayback. The USS Grayback was a WWII submarine that was missing for over 75 years. It was presumed to be lost until a group of undersea explorers discovered it in 2019.
The submarine was located off of Okinawa, Japan, after a mistake in the original calculations of the submarine’s location was fixed. The submarine was known to be one of the most successful submarines in the war, as it sunk a total of 14 ships.
6. Ancient Egyptian Military Vessel
A military vessel dating back to the second century B.C.E. was discovered in 2021 while divers were exploring the sunken city of Thonis-Heracleion. The 80-foot-long ship was hidden beneath 16 feet of clay. Closer analysis of the underwater discovery revealed the ship’s design merged both Egyptian and Greek building techniques. Officials stated that discovery of a fast and intact ship was “very rare.”
The military has a long, rich history, which makes amazing underwater finds endless. The coolest underwater discoveries tend to have the most history behind them. Every new ship or submarine found reveals a deeper lost story.
These underwater discoveries are only scratching the surface. There are entire projects and organizations dedicated to locating lost ships and military submarines. But for now, these are our top 6 favorite underwater discoveries.
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