The search for the wreckage ended this week when a team of researchers and defence personnel found the Japanese transport ship SS Montevideo Maru.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he hopes the discovery of a ship that sank off the coast of the Philippines more than 80 years ago will bring a measure of comfort to loved ones of the 979 Australian troops and civilians on board.
The ship sank on July 1, 1942, after being torpedoed by an American submarine, which was unaware it was carrying prisoners of war and civilians captured in the former Australian territory of New Guinea. “At long last, the resting place of the lost souls of the Montevideo Maru has been found,” he said in a statement. “The extraordinary effort behind this discovery speaks for the enduring truth of Australia’s solemn national promise to always remember and honour those who served our country. This is the heart and the spirit of Lest We Forget.
The team set out on an expedition to find the wreck in the South China Sea, northwest of Luzon, on April 6 and discovered it after 12 days, thanks to an autonomous underwater vehicle.After finding the wreckage, they then took a few days to confirm it was, in fact, the Japanese ship.
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