The "SS Iron Crown" was heavily loaded with manganese ore when it was struck by a Japanese U-boat torpedo on June 4, 1942. The freighter sank within a minute; 38 of the 43 crew members were killed.
Now Australian researchers have found the wreck: The hundred-meter-long ship was located about a hundred kilometers off the coast of the Australian state of Victoria and seem to be "relatively intact," the scientists said on Tuesday. It is located 700 meters below the water surface on the seabed.
CSIRO
The shipwreck on a sonar photo of the ocean floor
With the location of the wreck after nearly 77 years, the relatives of the dead would have now, said the archaeologist Peter Harvey Heritage Heritage Association.
Both anchors still in place
To explore with divers, the ship is clearly too deep. They used sonar equipment and a special underwater camera, said the scientist Emily Jateff of the Australian Maritime Museum. The pictures of the camera showed that the bow of the ship was still intact. Even the two anchor chains and anchors are still in place.
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From the recordings, a panorama picture of the ship is to be put together, which should also be used for protection. Historic wrecks older than 75 years are protected by Australian law. At the site of the destruction a memorial service is planned.
At that time, the five survivors of the "SS Iron Crown" had managed to cling to wreckage with life vests until they were rescued. Between June 1942 and 1943, according to information from the authorities, Japan sent 13 submarines off the east coast of Australia. These sunk 22 ships, 194 people were killed.