'Ghost Ship' Discovered Off Hawaii Coast
WASHINGTON: Researchers have discovered an intact "ghost
ship" in 2,000 feet of water off the coast of Oahu - the third largest of
the Hawaiian Islands.
The wreckage of the
former cable ship Dickenson, later the USS Kailua, was found in good shape on
the seabed last year on a maritime heritage submersible mission.
"The ship was
surprisingly intact for a vessel that was sunk with a torpedo. The upper deck
structures from the bow to the stern were well-preserved and showed no sign of
torpedo damage," said Terry Kerby, Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory's (HURL)
submersible pilot.
Launched in Chester,
Pennsylvania in early 1923 for the Commercial Pacific Cable Company, Dickenson
was a vital part of a global network of submarine cable that carried
telecommunications around the world.
"From her interisland service to her role in Pacific communications and
then World War II, Dickenson today is like a museum exhibit resting in the
darkness, reminding us of these specific elements of Pacific history,"
noted Hans Van Tilburg from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA).
During the World War
II, the former USS Kailua was sunk as a target by submarine torpedo fire on
February 7, 1946.
The exact location
was not recorded, and the final resting place of the ship had remained a
mystery.
"Seeing the
ship come into view, we were all amazed at its level of preservation - and by
the fact that everything was more or less in place.
"The
identification of the wreck was easy, not only because of its unique form, but
also because the Navy's identification number of IX-71 was still painted on the
bow," said James Delgado, director of the Maritime Heritage Programme.