The remnants of a World War II warship that Nazis sunk off the coast of Brazil have been discovered more than 80 years later.
The Brazilian vessel, named Vital de Oliveira, was attacked by a German submarine in 1944 and 100 of the 270 men onboard were killed.
The wreck was found when the Brazilian Navy answered a call of distress off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in 2011, leading divers to spot a cannon on the seafloor.
Officials have now confirmed it was the lost Vital de Oliveira after gathering data about the position and condition of the vessel that allowed them to capture images of the sunken boat.
‘The equipment used allowed us to obtain unprecedented images of the hull,’ the navy said in a statement.
Vital de Oliveira was incorporated into the Brazilian Navy in 1931 and was used to deliver military personnel and supplies along the coast until a torpedo took it down in the middle of the night.
Brazil entered WWII on August 22, 1942, declaring war on Germany, Italy, and Japan, and later joined the Allies on February 8, 1943, when it signed the Declaration by the United Nations.
The South American country eventually became a military hub for the US, hosting America’s warplanes to take on the German army.
The team captured images of a ship wreck off the coast of Brazil, finding it was a long-lost WWII ship
The Brazilian vessel, named Vital de Oliveira, was attacked by a German submarine in 1944 and 100 of the 270 men onboard were killed
The discovery was made when a fisherman’s net became stuck on the seafloor more than a decade ago.
Brazil’s navy answered the call, sending deep sea divers to help and stumbled upon a shipwreck.
But the vessel was not identified until the Underwater Archaeology Division of the Navy’s Historical Heritage took another look last month.
Lieutenant Captain Caio Cezar Pereira Demilio, who participated in the commission, said in a statement: ‘The location and documentation of the shipwreck were conducted using a multibeam echo sounder and side scan sonar, essential equipment for hydrographic and archaeological surveys.’
Multibeam sonar is used to map the seafloor and detect objects in the water column or along the seafloor. The team used this to identify the location of the ship.
They then deployed side scan sonar, which uses sound waves to create images of the ocean floor to capture high-resolution acoustic images, enabling detailed visualization of the hull and other structural elements of the wreck.
In total, 32 sounding lines were carried out with the multibeam echo sounder and nine side scan lines, covering a large area around the wreck site, the team said.
They plan to use the data to create three-dimensional models of the sunken ship.
The team used different sonar systems to scan the seafloor and captured the images. They plan to send an ROV to capture more detailed photos of the wreck
Researchers discovered another WWII ghost ship off the coast of California last October that belonged to the US military
‘These models will allow a detailed assessment of the remaining structural conditions and the relationship of the vessel with the environment,’ explained Lt. Demilio.
The team also plans to send remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) to the bottom of the ocean to investigate the scene.
About 25,900 Brazilian men fought in WWII as part of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) and around 1,900 soldiers and sailors were killed.
From 1942 to 1945, Brazilians actively contributed to the Allied cause on land, air, and sea, before the war concluded Brazil lost, 31 merchant vessels, three warships, and 22 fighter aircraft.
Researchers discovered another WWII ghost ship off the coast of California last October that belonged to the US military.
Found almost 3,500 feet beneath the water’s surface, the wreck of the ‘Ghost Ship of the Pacific’ was discovered through powerful robotic sonar technology after 82 years.
The 314-foot-long ship was identified as the only US Navy Destroyer captured by Japanese forces during World War II, known as the DD-224 or USS Stewart.
