Legendary WWII Ship Found 80 Years After Sinking

The USS Edsall played a pivotal role in the Allied Pacific campaign in World War II. More than 80 years after sinking in combat, the wreckage of the American warship has been found. 

The Royal Australian Navy made the discovery 200 miles east of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. The Edsall, helmed by 33-year-old Capt. Joshua Nix, carried more than 200 service members on board before Japanese forces sank the ship on March 1, 1942, just three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It didn't go down without a fight, however; according to the U.S. Navy, the Edsall evaded bombs from the warships all day using slick techniques and smokescreens, leading the opposing forces to nickname the ship "the Dancing Mouse."

The U.S. Navy has confirmed that a wreck discovered last year by the Royal Australian Navy is that of USS Edsall (DD 219). Lost in the Indian Ocean in 1942, the exact fate of the Edsall was unknown until a decade later when captured Japanese film revealed that the destroyer had… pic.twitter.com/k6tm4x3RoZ

— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) November 11, 2024

US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy announced the discovery of the shipwreck in a joint statement with Royal Australian Navy head Mark Hammond. It was first found last year but its discovery was shared on Veterans Day in the US and Remembrance Day in Australia.

"Capt. Joshua Nix and his crew fought valiantly, evading 1,400 shells from Japanese battleships and cruisers, before being attacked by 26 carrier-dive bombers, taking only one fatal hit," Kennedy said, per NBC News. "This is part of our continuing efforts to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will now be able to preserve this important memorial and hope that the families of the heroes who died there will know their loved ones rest in peace."

Capt. Nix's grandson, Jim Nix, shared the satisfaction of this closure with The Washington Post. "When we asked about him as children, all we would get was, ‘He died in the war. Nobody really knew,'" the Dallas resident said. "It’s bad that I didn’t get to know him. But that’s life."