The wreck of the USS Houston has been identified

Listen to this article US Navy officials have confirmed that the wreck found near Java is the USS Houston, sunk in World War II. The heavy cruiser, which earned the nickname “the galloping ghost of the Javanese coast” during her service in combat, was sunk by the Japanese on the night of February 28-March 1,

ByMałgorzata Brykała

Published: August 20, 2014 - 15:06

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 07:55

The wreck of the USS Houston has been identified

Listen to this article

US Navy officials have confirmed that the wreck found near Java is the USS Houston, sunk in World War II. The heavy cruiser, which earned the nickname “the galloping ghost of the Javanese coast” during her service in combat, was sunk by the Japanese on the night of February 28-March 1, 1942, during the Battle of the Straits of Sudan.

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For the US Navy, the sinking of the USS Houston was a serious blow, and finding its wreckage was a matter of honour. Mainly because almost 700 of the more than 1,000 sailors aboard it died.

The ship was built in the shipyard of Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company and launched on 7 September 1929. The cruiser entered service on 17 June 1930 and received the designation CL-30, changed a year later to CA-30. In February 1931 USS Houston was named the flagship of the US Asiatic Fleet.

The cruiser was one of six ships of the Northampton class. She measured almost 183m in length and was over 20m wide. She could develop a speed of 32,5 knots and her crew consisted of 1020 to 1155 sailors. Its armament consisted of 9 guns cal. 203 mm, 8 guns cal. 127 mm, 3 anti-aircraft guns cal. 76 mm, 4 anti-aircraft guns cal. 28 mm and 8 wkm cal. 12.7 mm. Additionally, Houston had 4 seaplanes.

A joint team of divers from Indonesia with the US Navy has confirmed that the wreck lying on the bottom of the Java Sea is the remains of the USS Houston. At the same time, the reconnaissance has recorded traces of divers who have disturbed the site. A plan is currently being developed to prevent unauthorised diving on this wreck.

“We are in discussions with our Indonesian partners who share our sense of duty to protect the wreck on which so many sailors have fallen,” said Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Harry Harris.

Source: telegraph.co.uk