SEARCH Inc, the US-based underwater and terrestrial archaeology firm, and marine robotics company Ocean Infinity, have announced the discovery of the USS Nevada, one of the US Navyโs longest-serving battleships, which saw action in both World Wars.
According to website Naval Today, the USS Nevada was located 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbour at a depth of over 4,500m.
Theย discovery is the result of a successful collaboration between SEARCH and Ocean Infinity, and marks the combination of SEARCHโs maritime archaeological expertise and Ocean Infinityโs robotic technology and deep-water search capability.
The mission was jointly co-ordinated between SEARCHโs operations centre and one of Ocean Infinityโs vessels, Pacific Constructor. Pacific Constructor set sail for a range of commercial tasks in the Pacific in early 2020, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the global health crisis, the ship has remained at sea on a range of taskings.
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USS Nevadaโs history
USS Nevada had an extraordinary service, spanning three and a half decades. She was launched in 1914 and performed escort duties for valuable convoys headed to the British Isles.
At the end of World War One, she escorted the ocean liner George Washington, carrying US president Woodrow Wilson to attend The Paris Peace Conference.
In World War Two, on 7 July 1941 in the attack on Pearl Harbour, the USS Nevada was the only battleship to get underway but, having been struck by five bombs, finally sank in nearby shallow waters.
During this action, 60 of her crew were killed and 109 wounded.
Following salvage operations, she soon rejoined the war effort, sailing to the United Kingdom to take part in the D-Day landings, among other European operations. She then sailed to the Pacific, arriving off Iwo Jima in February 1945 and played an important part in the invasion of Okinawa.
After World War Two, the USS Nevada was assigned to be a target ship in the first Bikini atomic experiments in 1946, which she survived.
Finally, in 1948 she was used as a gunnery practice target. Unable to be sunk by the ships using her as a target, she finally went down having been hit by an aerial torpedo on 31 July 1948.
โNevada is an iconic ship that speaks to American resilience and stubbornness. Rising from its watery grave after being sunk at Pearl Harbour, it survived torpedoes, bombs, shells and two atomic blasts.
โThe physical reality of the ship, resting in the darkness of the great museum of the sea, reminds us not only of past events, but of those who took up the challenge of defending the United States in two global wars.
โThis is why we do ocean exploration to seek out these powerful connections to the past,โ saidย James Delgado, SEARCHโs Senior Vice President and lead maritime archaeologist on the mission.
โWe are proud to have participated in this historic mission, which provides a tangible example of how technology can magnify the potential for discovery. Working with Ocean Infinity, the possibilities are limitless.
โThe discovery of the USS Nevada is another reminder of the powerful human stories lying beneath the waves waiting to be re-told,โ commentedย James Pochurek, SEARCHโs President.
