After decades beneath the Pacific, the wreck of the USS Stewart, a World War II destroyer, has been found off the Northern California coast. The collaborative discovery was made with the help of sophisticated technology by a research team from Ocean Infinity, the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, SEARCH, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), according to the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation press release.
The Stewart's final location was a conjecture until Ocean Infinity conducted recent tests of newly developed autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). These tests appeared to offer a perfect chance to search for the "Ghost Ship of the Pacific." Dr. James Delgado, a key figure in the discovery, has had a long-standing interest in the USS Stewart. "And after a couple of hours, Stewart rolled over onto one side and sank, never to be seen again until we dropped a remotely operated vehicle on it," Delgado told ABC7 News.
The search utilized three HUGIN 6000 AUVs equipped with high-resolution synthetic aperture sonar (HiSAS) to scan the ocean floor extensively over 24 hours. Excitement grew as the team identified the Stewart sitting nearly upright 3,500 feet under the surface within the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. This find is not only momentous for its historical significance but also for the preservation of the wreck, which offers detailed insights into twentieth-century naval design.
Further documenting the USS Stewart, a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with a camera conducted a detailed visual survey of the site, with the real-time video feed being transmitted back to experts on land. "And for 2.5 hours, we explored Stewart comparing exciting notes back and forth with each other, saying, did you see that?" Delgado excitedly described in an interview with ABC7 News. The data collected from the mission will aid historical research, contribute to environmental assessments, and help NOAA monitor and manage marine life in the sanctuaries.
Bringing closure to a longstanding mystery, the locate of the Stewart has cemented a tangible connection to a past that saw the ship serve under two flags in a world war. "The USS Stewart represents a unique opportunity to study a well-preserved example of early twentieth-century destroyer design," said Dr. Delgado, now Senior Vice President of SEARCH, highlighting the discovery's significance. "Its story, from US Navy service to Japanese capture and back again, makes it a powerful symbol of the Pacific War's complexity," Delgado stated in the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation press release.
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