Lost for Over Eight Decades: The Sunken WWII Japanese Destroyer Finally Uncovered—What Secrets Does It Hold?
“The original shape is still in excellent condition, and considering the appearance of the gun turrets, there’s no doubt it’s the Teruzuki,” Kazushige Todaka, director of the Kure Maritime Museum in Hiroshima, told The Japan News.
How The Teruzuki Sank In The Solomon Islands During The Guadalcanal Campaign
Ocean Exploration TrustThe Teruzuki took part in the Guadalcanal campaign in late 1942.
The Teruzuki, which translates to “shining moon,” measures 440 feet long and was commissioned in 1942. It was built to defend fellow Japanese aircraft carriers from enemy aerial fire.
The ship was used in the Guadalcanal campaign, a series of battles that would become a turning point in favor of the Allied powers during World War II. The vessel served as the flagship of Rear Admiral Raizō Tanaka.
On December 12, 1942, two American Mk-8 torpedoes hit the Teruzuki near Cape Esperance. The strike disabled the rudders and the vessel started to go up in flames before finally sinking. Nine crew members died as a result, but most of the hundreds of other crewmembers, including Tanaka, survived.
Ocean Exploration TrustNo historical photos of the Teruzuki are known to exist, but it would’ve looked like the Akisuki, its sister ship, seen in the image above.
“I feel so lucky to see this ship. The fact that we have not seen Teruzuki in over 80 years underscores the importance of recording maritime heritage now,” said Hiroshi Ishii, a maritime archaeologist at Kyoto University.
The Teruzuki isn’t the first wreck to be discovered in “Iron Bottom Sound” this year. The same group of researchers behind this find also announced that they discovered the lost bow of the USS New Orleans earlier in July.
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