Ghost Ship ‘USS Stewart’ Found After 80 Years Off San Francisco Coast

The wreck of the legendary warship USS Stewart has been discovered off the coast of San Francisco after 80 years underwater.

The USS Stewart fought for both the United States and its adversary, Japan, during World War II—a unique and intriguing history.

The shipwreck was located at a depth of 3500 feet in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, northwest of San Francisco.

Marine robotics company Ocean Infinity scanned a 127 square km area of the seabed in just 24 hours to find the wreck.

The USS Stewart served as an escort ship in the early Pacific War but was damaged during the Battle of Badung Strait in 1942.

The ship was sunk by its own crew to avoid capture but was later raised by the Japanese and used as their patrol boat until the war ended.

After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the ship returned to U.S. hands but was decommissioned and later used for target practice.

USS Stewart earned the nickname ‘Ghost Ship of the Pacific’ and was spotted behind enemy lines by American pilots during the war.