Divers examine the wreckage of an American F4U-4 Corsair fighter-bomber on the remote Japanese island of Iriomote in March 2019. (Photo: Justin Tylan/PacificWrecks.com)
World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) saw some of the largest naval battles and operations in history, and shipwrecks from this era are scattered across the oceans – some estimates suggest that around 15,000 ships and over 500,000 people were sunk during World War II. Sea travel was the primary mode of transportation during the world wars, and control of the oceans was a key objective in both conflicts.
Nearly 80 years after the end of World War II, the wrecks of thousands of ships from World Wars I and II still lie on the ocean floor, each with its own unique – and often tragic – story.
In this article, we will explore some of the most famous shipwrecks from World War I and World War II.
1. The remains of a ship left after the Battle of Midway
The Kaga ship in its final underwater resting place.
The Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga is only the second wreck to be found from the Battle of Midway, a conflict in June 1942 where Japan suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the United States; the other ship was the American carrier USS Yorktown. Bombs from American fighters tore Kaga apart and set her ablaze, and other Japanese warships later sank the carrier with torpedoes.
2. Dutch submarines near Malaysia
Sourse: www.livescience.com
