Australian divers’ remarkable underwater discovery

A team of Australian divers has made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery during a expedition venturing more than 100 metres underwater.

A team of Australian divers found the wreckage of a US aircraft carrier. Picture: Samir Alhafith/The Project

A team of Australian divers has made a remarkable discovery off the coast of the Philippines.

The divers ventured more than 100 metres underwater to assist in locating a long-lost US aircraft carrier that had been missing for nearly 80 years.

The USS Ommaney Bay had been on its way to liberate Manila from the Japanese during World War II when it was struck in a kamikaze attack in the Sulu Sea, and then torpedoed.

There were 95 lives lost in the attack, including two men on board the escort Eichenberger who were killed by flying debris. The USS Ommaney Bay was carrying 27 aircraft at the time it sank, and was packed with munition.

“I hear a big boom and the lights went out and smoke started coming out of the bulk heads,” Joe Cooper, who was 22 when the suicide plane hit his warship, said of that terrifying moment of impact. He’s now 101 years old, living in North Carolina, US.

“I was scared of staying on the ship because of that gasoline and fire. I wanted to get off the ship.”

So he took a lifejacket and jumped, and was rescued five hours later. Sadly, dozens of his crewmates perished around him and the wreckage has become their grave, which has just now been uncovered.

In April this year, some 78 years since it sank and vanished, divers from DPT Scuba laid eyes on the USS Ommaney Bay again for the first time. The expedition had been launched on the back of the Sea Scan Survey team – Mick Stefurak, Neil Krumbeck and Joe Brothers – having scanned the site just after Covid-19 shut down DPT’s 2020 trip to the site.

“From the initial scans, it’s upside down but nobody’s ever put anything down on it so we’re not sure if it is this wreck,” technical diver David Tipping told The Project prior to the DPT team discovering the wreckage.

The divers, including Chris and Amy McCran, made a remarkable discovery. Picture: The Project

Because there was still a lot of mystery surrounding the wreckage despite the sonar scans, David needed a highly specialised team with deepwater diving skills to solve it.

Six Australian divers went on the underwater expedition: newlywed couple Chris and Amy McCran, along with Samir Alhafith, David Tipping, Heeman Lee and John Wooden.

“It’s the unicorn of the wreck diving world, I didn’t need to be asked twice,” Samir said of agreeing to venture to the site.

Where the aircraft carrier was located. Picture: The Project

A team of Aussie divers have discovered a long-lost American Aircraft carrier that had been missing for nearly 80 years. pic.twitter.com/zVra9FKBht

— The Project (@theprojecttv) August 20, 2023

However, the expedition did come with risks.

“If you make a mistake then and there and it’s a serious mistake, you’re probably not going to be coming back alive,” Chris said.

Finding the clues to the vessel’s identity, including the flight deck support beans and anchors, was a remarkable moment for the divers. It was also clear just how fierce the attack on the carrier was.

This is the moment a piece of the wreckage collapsed as a diver passed next to it. Picture: Samir Alhafith/The Project

“It’s incredible, the amount of damage we’ve seen on this wreck is like no other,” Samir said.

What’s more, venturing inside the wreck increased the danger of setting off unexploded bombs, and heart-stopping moment one of the divers had a near brush with danger was captured on camera.

“You need to be extremely careful. This is a typical example of just how careful you need to be, this big piece that falls over there,” Samir said, pointing to his computer screen as footage shows the moment a piece of the wreckage collapses as a diver swam next to it.

The USS Ommaney Bay. Picture: Navsource

There were also some sombre finds inside.

“This here is actually quite confronting, they are the plates,” Samir said. “It could have been a mess hall because there’s a lot of cutlery, a lot of platers, a lot of cups around.”

David agreed: “You see the boots, you see life jackets, it certainly hits home that it’s a war grave and that 95 men lost their lives in this site.”

They ventured inside the wreckage. Picture: Samir Alhafith/The Project

The US navy was able to confirm the ship’s identity due to the vision.

“This discovery allows the families of those lost some amount of closure and give us all another chance to remember and honour their service to our nation,” Samuel L Cox, US navy rear admiral (retired) said.

The wreck is protected by the US government, and its exact location kept secret, as a precaution against rampant scrap metal salvaging.

A briefing on the discovery of the ship is be presented by the Naval History and Heritage Command underwater archaeology staff at the upcoming symposium on 25 August (US time).