Archaeology
3 shipwrecks from 'forgotten battle' of World War II discovered off remote Alaskan island
Underwater archaeologists have located the wrecks of three military ships involved in Japan's invasion of Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands in World War II — an almost-overlooked conflict sometimes called the "forgotten battle" by historians.
The wrecks of the vessels — two Japanese freighters and the American cable ship SS Dellwood, which laid undersea cables during the war — were discovered last month during an expedition to Attu Island, at the westernmost tip of the Aleutians.
The Japanese ships were sunk by bombs from American aircraft after Japanese troops invaded the island in June 1942, roughly six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the American ship sank about a month after the Japanese invasion had been defeated almost a year later, during efforts to reinforce the island's defenses.
"The original [Japanese] idea was to turn Attu into an 'unsinkable aircraft carrier'" for attacks on other American locations, maritime archaeologist and project co-leader Dominic Bush told Live Science.
"But as things started to change in the Pacific, they were abandoned by the Imperial command and basically told to hold out for as long as they could — essentially, to die with honor," added Bush, who was a doctoral student at East Carolina University (ECU) at the time of the expedition and is now a researcher for the archaeological nonprofit Ships of Discovery.
Related: 30 incredible sunken wrecks from WWI and WWII
Battle of Attu
Attu and the nearby Aleutian island of Kiska were the only parts of North America invaded and occupied by a foreign enemy during World War II, although Japanese warplanes also bombed other Aleutian islands. In response, the United States spent roughly a year bombing the Japanese there with warplanes and, eventually, drove out the Japanese with a force of almost 35,000 American and Canadian soldiers.
-
Archaeology2d ago
Pompeii victims died in 'extreme agony,' 2 newfound skeletons reveal
-
Archaeology2d ago
Massive medieval coin hoard worth 'about 150 sheep' discovered in Germany's Black Forest
-
Archaeology2d ago
Why did the Maya civilization collapse?
-
Archaeology3d ago
3,000-year-old goddess figurine found in an Italian lake still bears the handprints of its maker
-
Archaeology3d ago
Rare Roman-era silver ingots depicting Constantine the Great seized from alleged black-market sale
-
Archaeology3d ago
Stonehenge's 13,200-pound Altar Stone originated in northeastern Scotland, more than 450 miles away
-
Archaeology4d ago
Unraveling Mysteries: Decoding Ancient Petroglyphs and Cave Paintings of ‘Ancient Aliens’.lamz
-
Archaeology5d ago
Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui arrive at Munich Airport ahead of completing their signings to Manchester United, as Red Devils prepare for a £70M double swoop for defenders.criss