Wreck Of WWII Warship Known As "Ghost Ship Of The Pacific" Discovered

A team of undersea investigators has located the wreck of the USS Stewart (DD-224), a historic US Navy destroyer, which served under both American and Japanese flags during World War II. The discovery was made off the coast of northern California during a recent expedition involving Ocean Infinity, the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, SEARCH, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC).

The wreck, also known as “the ghost ship of the Pacific,” lies within the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, matching historical accounts of its final resting place. The Stewart was intentionally sunk in 1946, as part of a naval exercise. Commissioned in September 1920, the Stewart completed its construction too late to participate in World War I. However, it found itself on the front lines at the outset of World War II.

In 1941, the Stewart was stationed in Manila as part of the US Navy's Asiatic Fleet, tasked with opposing Imperial Japan's aggressive expansion following the attack on Pearl Harbour. The destroyer sustained damage during combat in February 1942, and a freak accident left it trapped in a dry dock on Java. As enemy forces prepared to seize the island, the crew was forced to abandon the ship.

It was, then, captured by Imperial Japanese forces and pressed into service as Patrol Boat No. 102. Once the war was over, the Stewart was recommissioned into the US Navy in an “emotional” ceremony before being towed back to San Francisco. There, the ship served one last time as a target for naval gunnery exercises, absorbing fire for over two hours before sinking into the depths.

The story of the USS Stewart has caught the attention of historians, archaeologists and naval enthusiasts for years. On August 1, 2024, Ocean Infinity sent out three underwater drones to find its wreck. Using advanced sonar technology, the drones scanned the seafloor for 24 hours and discovered the sunken ship 3,500 feet below the surface.

Months earlier, Andy Sherrell, Director of Maritime Operations at Ocean Infinity America, saw a chance to test new technology. He worked with Russ Matthews, President of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, and Dr. James Delgado, former NOAA Director of Maritime Heritage, to find important sunken ships to explore. They chose the USS Stewart for this mission and NOAA's Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary gave them a permit for the survey.

Matthews found details about the Stewart's sinking in 1946 from old logbooks at the National Archives. Early sonar scans showed that the ship was mostly intact and sitting upright on the seafloor. This makes it one of the best-preserved examples of a US Navy “four-stacker” destroyer.