An international expedition has revealed 13 shipwrecks lost during some of the fiercest naval battles of World War II off the island of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific, offering the clearest view yet of the campaign fought more than 80 years ago.
The Ocean Exploration Trust (OET), aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus, documented the wrecks in unprecedented detail while livestreaming the mission to millions worldwide.
The survey included four wrecks imaged for the first time, among them the bow of the USS New Orleans and the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki.
In addition to these new findings, researchers revisited vessels such as the USS Vincennes, USS Astoria, USS Quincy, USS Northampton, USS Laffey, USS DeHaven, USS Preston, HMAS Canberra, USS Walke, and the Japanese destroyer Yudachi.
The work sheds light on how these ships have endured on the seafloor since the 1942 naval clashes.
Site of five major naval battles now under renewed study
Iron Bottom Sound, the stretch of ocean between Guadalcanal, Savo, and Nggela islands, became the site of five major naval battles from August to December 1942. More than 20,000 lives were lost, along with 111 warships and 1,450 planes. Many wrecks remain undiscovered in its deep waters.
Renowned ocean explorer Dr. Robert Ballard, president of the Ocean Exploration Trust, and famous for discovering the wreck of the Titanic, said returning to the site was significant both scientifically and personally.
“It was wonderful to return to Iron Bottom Sound, where we discovered Japanese, Australian, and American warships over 34 years ago,” he said.
The mission was supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute and deployed advanced mapping tools to locate wrecks.
The E/V Nautilus has located the wreck of the Japanese destroyer Teruzuki in the Solomon Islands’ Iron Bottom Sound. Teruzuki was escorting a convoy of supply ships near Guadalcanal when it was attacked and sunk by U.S. Navy PT boats in 1942. The destroyer's depth charges are… pic.twitter.com/PpIoqTQ5Ba
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) July 18, 2025
Central to the effort was the University of New Hampshire’s uncrewed surface vehicle DriX, which was controlled remotely from Honiara to map more than 1,000 square kilometers of seafloor.
The mapping identified dozens of potential targets, and Nautilus’ remotely operated vehicles later explored these sites for over 138 hours, diving more than 1,000 meters beneath the ocean surface.
Dr. Larry Mayer, who leads the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, said the use of DriX greatly improved efficiency, allowing mapping to continue even as the Nautilus deployed its ROVs.
Public invited to witness discoveries in real time
The surveys were streamed live via NautilusLive.org, allowing people worldwide — including families connected to the Guadalcanal campaign — to witness the discoveries in real time.
Over 130 archaeologists and experts from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States contributed remotely, providing real-time interpretations through telepresence technology.
Samuel J. Cox, director of the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, said the findings will deepen understanding of one of history’s costliest naval campaigns. “Yet, the end result of that terrible war brought not only freedom for the United States and Allies, but for Japan as well,” Cox said.
Dr. Daniel Wagner, OET’s chief scientist, added that the vast majority of the deep ocean remains unexplored. “These deep-sea explorations highlight how many extraordinary things are still hidden and waiting to be found in the great depths of our ocean,” he said.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
