US destroyer sunk during World War II found

The Royal Australian Navy located the USS Edsall destroyer, which was sunk during World War II by the naval forces of the Empire of Japan. It was found last year, but the wreckage only completed identification last week.

The warship was sunk off the Australian coast in March 1942, U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy confirmed. "Captain Joshua Nix and his crew fought valiantly, evading 1,400 shells from Japanese battleships and cruisers before being attacked by 26 dive bombers from aircraft carriers. They took a single fatal hit," she said. "There were no survivors."

On board were 216 crewmen, including 185 Navy and 31 Air Force personnel. The U.S. Navy, which provided these details, described the wreck site as a "hallowed site." According to the U.S. Naval Institute, an investigation revealed that at least six crew members were captured and subsequently executed.

The head of the Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, stated the USS Edsall "served valiantly. She operated alongside Australian war ships protecting our shores, and played a role in sinking the Japanese submarine I-124 off Darwin."

Documents from the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) specify that the destroyer weighed 1,190 tons and measured 314 feet (95 meters) in length. It was equipped with single guns, an anti-aircraft gun, a torpedo launcher, and other armaments.

It could also travel at a "respectable" 35 knots. Its evasive measures earned it the nickname "Japanese dancing mouse," given by a Japanese observer, who compared its unpredictable movements to domesticated mice scurrying about their cage as if they were dancing. "If it were not for the unpredictable speed and course changes, the Japanese would have put Edsall under a lot sooner," the NHHC said.