Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced today, Saturday, the discovery in the South China Sea of a Japanese commercial shipwreck that sank during World War II, carrying 864 Australian soldiers, thus closing a tragic chapter in the country’s history.
The Australian minister noted that the wreck of the ship, known as the Montevideo Maru, was found northwest of Luzon Island in the Philippines. The unmarked ship was transporting POWs and went missing since it sank off the coast of the Philippines in July 1942.
It was sunk by an American submarine without knowing it was carrying prisoners of war. The incident, considered the worst maritime disaster in Australia's history, occurred while the ship was en route from what is now Papua New Guinea to Hainan, China.
The wreck was discovered at a depth of over four thousand meters, and it is believed that more than a thousand men, including POWs and civilians from various countries, perished in this tragedy.
The revelation about the ship’s fate comes just ahead of the commemoration of Anzac Day on April 25, which is a significant day for Australia and New Zealand to honor their soldiers who died in all military conflicts.
