JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Researchers made a surprising find when diving in the waters off Hawaii: a large U.S. naval tanker that had been sitting unseen in 80 feet of water for nearly 60 years.
“I turn around, and this giant, looming structure, so eerie,” Melissa Price, a maritime archaeologist, told Hawaii News Now.
Price was one of three divers to discover the Mission San Miguel on Aug. 3 off the coast of Hawaii. During a 1957 trip from Seattle to Guam, it hit a reef in the area and sank. The crew escaped, but the ship went down.
“I had to stare at it for a little bit, then I started freaking out underwater, screaming and motioning,” said Rebecca Weible, a UH Manoa marine biology student who was diving with Price.
As a naval tanker in World War II and the Korean War, Mission San Miguel transported fuel for military machines. It received several commendations for its service.
“This is a ship that wasn’t a glamorous part of World War II history, but was an important part,” said Kelly Keogh, Maritime Heritage Coordinator for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.