Australian experts have found the wreckage of the Montevideo Maru, a ship that sank in the sea near the Philippines during World War II with more than 1,000 people on board.
Experts from Australian maritime archeology group Silent World Foundation launched a mission to find the Montevideo Maru ship with the help of Dutch deep-sea survey company Fugro.
In July 1942, an American attack during World War II resulted in the sinking of a Japanese ship that killed more than 1,000 Australian soldiers and civilians, including 979 Australians, 33 Norwegian sailors and 20 Japanese crew members.
After the discovery of the wreckage of the ship, the technical specialist of the search team, Captain Roger Turner, while talking to the British Broadcasting Corporation, said that this ship is a war grave, it is a tomb that deserves utmost respect.
The Australian prime minister said the final resting place of those who sank with the Montodio Maru had finally been found, news that might give some relief to those who had searched for their loved ones for years.
The Silent World Foundation said it was an emotional moment to see the images of the ship’s prisoner barracks in the deep sea. And 1089 people of 14 different nationalities including prisoners were on board.
According to the foundation, this ship was the burial place of more than 1,000 people, so finding it was very important to those families. It was an emotional affair.
