Ghost Ship Found
Maybe you navel naval history types are familiar with this particular ship – I certainly wasn’t.
The USS Stewart was deliberately sunk during a US Navy exercise in May 1946 and its final resting place has now been located, according to a statement from the Air Sea Heritage Foundation and Search Inc, which were both involved in the investigation, published Tuesday.
What is described as a “four-stacker” destroyer, she seems to be sitting upright on her keel off Northern California.
“This level of preservation is exceptional for a vessel of its age and makes it potentially one of the best-preserved examples of a US Navy ‘fourstacker’ destroyer known to exist.”
But, in the famous words of the man who made the phrase ubiquitous, Ron Popeil, “Wait – there’s more!”
Commissioned in 1920, the USS Stewart had a tumultuous life.
The ship was damaged in combat against Japanese forces in 1942 and was captured by the enemy, becoming the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Patrol Boat No. 102, according to the release.
“Soon, far-ranging Allied pilots began reporting the strange sight of an old American destroyer operating deep behind enemy lines,” reads the statement.
If you had asked me, I would have said that no American ships were captured by the Imperial Empire – I had only seen battle footage and the like, which seemed to say all of our losses went to Davy Jones’ Locker. I would have been wrong – no fewer than SIX were captured by the Japanese, to wit USS Finch (AM-9), USS Genesee (AT-55), USS Luzon (PG-47), USS Robert L. Barnes, USS Stewart (DD-224) USS Wake. (Learn something every day I do a column… boy, was I wrong. )
Damaged in battle against the Japanese, she was put in a dry-dock for repairs in Sumatra, but slipped off the keel blocks and rolled over in 12 feet of water. Due to Japanese attacks, raising her was impossible, so scuttling charges were set off in her and the dry-dock. Later the Japanese were able to raise her and recommissioned her as Patrol Boat No. 102.
“It was not until the Stewart was found afloat in Kure, Japan at the end of the war that the mystery of the Pacific ghost ship was finally solved.”
It was then towed back to San Francisco before it was used as a target ship during a naval exercise, sinking after absorbing fire for more than two hours.
“In the following decades, the Stewart’s story drew the interest of historians, archaeologists, and naval enthusiasts, and the rediscovery of its wreck became a top national priority for exploration,” reads the statement. “More than 78 years would pass before it was found.” CNN
Recovered by the US at the end of the war, she became a target ship.
Five Navy F6F Hellcat fighters[37] hit her with 18 rockets and thousands of rounds of 50 calibre ammunition but she refused to go down despite the damage. She was finally sunk by USS PC-799 which finished her off with twelve 40-mm and 17 three-inch shells fired from a range of 300 yards. Wiki
Category: Navy, We Remember, WWII
Okay, this could be the inspiration of a new series of articles on This Ain’t Hell, that being naval ships captured by the enemy and put back into the fight. Has the United States ever repurposed captured ships?
Off the top of my head, I could start with a “sort of” example. The SS Normandy was interned (so, not captured) after France fell. She was going to be converted to a troop ship but caught fire pier side in New York harbor. Fire fighting water caused the ship to capsized. She was eventually raised just to clear the pier.
There are probably better examples from the War of 1812 and maybe WWI.
If memory serves (big “if”), the original Arizona was commissioned by the US, captured and sailed by the CSN as the Caroline, then recaptured by the USN and rechristened the Arizona. Kept sailing for another year or two, I think.
Indeed it could be an inspiration. A number of ships were “swapped” back and forth between the USN and the CSN during the WBTS, the most famous (infamous?), naturally, being US Merrimack (CS Virginia) and US Water Witch. Buncha captured blockade runners.
German Krigsmarine heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen was a war prize and won with a flip of a coin from the British, Sailed to the US with the German crew. The US Navy were interested in the ships boiler system. The ship was then called
the USS IX300 Prinz Eugin. After wards the ship was used in the Atomic bomb test. Took a beating and the Navy was going to try and salvage it while it was afloat but it was too radioactive and the hull was starting to go. Am typing this from memory, so I maybe a little off on what I said. I had a 1/700 scale model of the ship i built using brass parts beside the plastic from the kit.
Coast Guard training barque Eagle is also a war prize if I remember correctly.
Per Wiki, taken as reparations after the war. Was used by the Germans pre-war for pretty much the same thing she’s used for now. During the war, she apparently had anti-aircraft batteries installed.
Been on her at the Coast Guard Academy, pretty damn cool ship.
Eagle would occasionally put into one of the piers at Subase in Groton (across the river from the Coast Guard Academy) to top off her diesel fuel tanks. On one occasion I remarked to the crew as they tied up, “You guys get lost? You’re supposed to be over there!” (Pointing across the river.) On another occasion my (now-)wife and I got to go aboard and take a look around.
So what’s going to happen with the ship now? Under water rides to 3500’? Better than 12,500’ like the Titantic. Has a great history, but This was a floating target that the Navy deemed junk and sunk it. Now it’s protected as a military artifact.
Assuming no souls were lost when she was scuttled, gather what engineering/scientific/environmental data you can and waste not another dollar on her.
Poor ship, it’s almost as if the USN was punishing her for her enemy service.
Lots of ships past their prime are designated as targets for SINKEXs. Most of the subs that served during WWII wound up being the target of more advanced torpedoes in the 60’s 70’s 80’s and even into the 90’s.