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A team aboard the Ocean Exploration Trust’s Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus located The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki (照月) on the seafloor of Iron Bottom Sound, July 12, 2025. After more than 80 years since the vessels sinking, the discovery marks a significant moment in maritime archaeology and World War II history.
The wreck was found at a depth exceeding 800 meters using cutting-edge seafloor mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology. The target was initially identified by the University of New Hampshire’s uncrewed surface vessel (USV) DriX, then visually confirmed by ROVs launched from E/V Nautilus.
“I feel so lucky to see this ship. The fact that we have not seen Teruzuki in over 80 years underscores the importance of recording maritime heritage now,” Hiroshi Ishii, Nautilus science team member, program-specific researcher at the Center for Southeast Asian Area Studies at Kyoto University. “As a Japanese person, I appreciate the opportunity to witness part of our history and to be part of an international team shedding light on this campaign, which is important to all of our nations’ history.”
Commissioned in 1942, Teruzuki—meaning “Shining Moon” or “Illuminated Moon”—was a 134-meter Akizuki-class destroyer built to defend aircraft carriers from aerial attack. However, it was lost during surface combat operations in the Guadalcanal campaign.
The destroyer served as flagship to Rear Adm. Raizō Tanaka, a renowned tactician in night operations and resupply missions. On Dec. 12, 1942, Teruzuki was struck by two American Mk-8 torpedoes near Cape Esperance, disabling the rudder and igniting fires. Although Adm. Tanaka and most of the crew survived, nine sailors were killed before the ship ultimately sank.
"The discovery of Rear Admiral Tanaka's flagship Teruzuki was made by a multidisciplinary, international team who together documented its remains, uncovering Teruzuki’s significance to former combatant, and now allied, nations," said Phil Hartmeyer, marine archaeologist, NOAA Ocean Exploration. "Only by exploring our planet's unknown waters can these significant stories of sacrifice and human connection to our ocean be brought to light."
When the exploration team found a 19-meter-long severed segment of Teruzuki’s stern littered with depth charges, it disproved a long-held theory that it was depth charge explosions that sealed the ship’s fate. Severed by the torpedo strikes, Teruzuki’s stern was found more than 200 meters from the hull and located by high-resolution ROV sonar scans. The ship was found with its forward artillery turrets pointing skyward, illustrating its original purpose as a warship for a different type of battle. Using historical references, experts confirmed the identity of the ship.
The discovery is part of an ongoing multinational mission supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. To date, the expedition has documented 12 World War II maritime heritage sites. Dozens more shipwrecks are believed to remain undisturbed in Iron Bottom Sound, the site of five major naval battles between August and December 1942.
Led by Ocean Exploration Trust President Dr. Robert Ballard, the expedition brings together a broad team of partners, including the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, NOAA Ocean Exploration, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Rhode Island, and multiple international collaborators.
Live footage and educational outreach from the mission are streamed at www.NautilusLive.org, allowing the global public to engage with the expedition in real time. Experts from Japan, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Solomon Islands are connected via telepresence technology to provide live interpretation and historical context.
NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy's unique and enduring contributions through our nation's history and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC is composed of many activities including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, ten museums, USS Constitution repair facility and the historic ship Nautilus.
For more news from NHHC, visit www.history.navy.mil
Interviews Available with Team At-Sea
Media Contact: press@oceanexplorationtrust.org, (860) 339-6948
Video of Discovery: First Sight of IJN Teruzuki
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2025 13:04 |
| Story ID: | 543218 |
| Location: | HONIARA, GUADALCANAL IS, SB |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Flagship Imperial Japanese Naval Destroyer Teruzuki Found in Iron Bottom Sound, by Sgt Bryce Hodges, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
