From NavyTimes.com….
After nearly 77 years undisturbed on the floor of the Pacific, the USS Johnston — sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf — has been confirmed found. Resting more than 20,000 feet below surface, the shipwreck is the deepest ever discovered, the Naval History and Heritage Command first reported.
In October 2019 the wreck of a Fletcher-class destroyer was located on the edge of an undersea cliff by the Vulcan Inc. research vessel Petrel, but the identity of the ship remained unconfirmed until recently. Now, imagery from the undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic, led by retired naval officer Victor Vescovo, has identified the ship by its hull number, 557.
The warship was lost during the Battle off Samar, part of the larger, sprawling Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 25, 1944.
With the outcome of the war already decided, the Japanese were seeking little more than a “fitting place to die,” according to their planning documents.
