After eight decades of mystery, a discovery: A Japanese ship torpedoed during World War II with 1,000 people on board, mostly Australian prisoners of war, has been discovered off the Philippines.

The Montevideo Maru was spotted on April 18 at a depth of more than 4,000 meters in the South China Sea, 110 kilometers off the Philippine island of Luzon, the Silentworld Foundation said today. The discovery was made after 12 days of research using an underwater drone equipped with sonar.

This shipwreck is considered one of the greatest maritime tragedies in Australian history.

The mixed cargo ship Montevideo Maru was sunk on July 1, 1942 by the American submarine USS Sturgeon, whose crew did not know that the ship was transporting Allied prisoners of war to the Chinese island of Hainan, which was occupied by the Japanese army of the United States.

Around 1,060 people from 14 countries were killed, according to the Silentworld Foundation, including 979 Australians taken prisoner at the Battle of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.

According to the Silentworld Foundation, it took more than five years to plan the operation to locate the ship. The investigation began on 6 April.

“The resting place for the lost souls of Montevideo Maru has finally been found,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.

“We hope that today’s news will bring relief to their relatives who have been waiting for so long,” he added.

The Silentworld Foundation has clarified that the wreckage of the Montevideo Maru, lying at a depth greater than that of the Titanic, will not rise to the surface. No items or human remains will be removed from the ship out of respect for the families of the victims.

“The discovery of the Montevideo Maru closes a terrible chapter in Australia’s military and naval history,” said John Mullen, director of the Silentworld Foundation, which led the study, which was carried out in collaboration with the Dutch company Fugro and the Australian military.

Among the dead on board were 33 sailors from the Norwegian cargo ship Herstein, also captured by the Japanese at Rabaul, and about 20 Japanese guards and crew members.

Among the victims of the crash there are citizens of several other countries: Great Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Sweden and the United States.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP.