Overview

• On July 10, ROVs aboard Ocean Exploration Trust’s Nautilus made the first underwater sighting of the Akizuki-class destroyer Teruzuki at over 800 meters beneath Iron Bottom Sound
• Sonar mapping by the University of New Hampshire’s USV DriX guided ROV investigations that revealed the wreck intact with onboard depth charges and artillery turrets
• Munitions and structural elements appear remarkably preserved, offering new insights into the tactics of American PT boat attacks that sank the destroyer on December 12, 1942
• Live ROV footage is being streamed publicly as part of an ongoing multidisciplinary survey by OET, NOAA and partner institutions targeting WWII sites in the Solomon Islands
• Researchers aim to apply observations from Teruzuki’s condition to inform broader maritime archaeology efforts and reinterpret pivotal engagements of the Guadalcanal campaign