Wreck of a historical unit from WWII found - video

In the last days of April, American and Australian media reported that the wreck of the freighter SS Wollongbar II had been found near the north-east coast of the United States. The ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine during World War II and for 73 years its final resting place remained unknown.

After the wreckage, measuring almost 87 metres in length, was found, its identification was carried out by Australia’s Heritage NSW – New South Wales Environment and Heritage Office, acting Minister for Veterans Affairs Geoff Lee announced.

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In 1943, the Japanese submarine I-180 sank a cargo ship by sending two torpedoes towards it. As a result of this attack, 32 crew members on board the freighter were killed. The ship sank in just a few minutes, which unfortunately contributed strongly to the high casualty rate. Only five crew members were rescued from the sinking vessel.

The SS Wollongbar II was one of a number of ships that were sunk by Axis submarines along the US East Coast line during World War II.

The relatives and descendants of the 32 fallen sailors will finally be able to close a chapter that has kept them busy since 1943.

It is interesting to note that when the ship was sunk, it was carrying crates of butter and bacon as cargo. Eventually, much of this valuable cargo found its way ashore and triggered… a real boom in cake baking. Previously, people could not afford such luxuries, as similar products were rationed during the war and access to them was severely restricted.

^{Source: environment.nsw.gov.au}