Over 1,000 people killed in WWII shipwreck in 1942. Now, it’s finally been found

A Japanese ship transporting Allied prisoners of war sank in 1942, claiming the lives of over 1,000 people, most of whom were Australian.

Now — eight decades later — the wreckage has been located 13,000 feet under the sea, bringing closure to many who lost loved ones in what became known as Australia’s deadliest maritime disaster, according to an April 22 statement from the country’s defense department.

Unaware that World War II prisoners were aboard, an American submarine torpedoed the Japanese vessel, the Montevideo Maru, near the Philippines on July 1, 1942.

In a matter of minutes, the ship was swallowed by the sea, killing 1,080 people, according to a news release from the Silentworld Foundation, a non-profit that supports maritime archaeology.

The victims were from 14 countries, including 979 from Australia, according to the foundation.

“These Australians were never forgotten,” Richard Marles, the country’s deputy prime minister, said in the statement. “Lost deep beneath the seas, their final resting place is now known.”

After nearly two weeks at sea searching for the wreck, a team of researchers spotted potential remains using an autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with sonar, according to the foundation.

Experts, including former naval personnel and maritime archaeologists, spent days authenticating the shipwreck.

It was found more than two miles below the sea, deeper than the resting place of the Titanic, according to the foundation.

Relatives of the deceased shared their reactions to the discovery in the Facebook group Rabaul & Montevideo Maru Society.

“Our Uncle Clifford Deppeler was onboard, now after all this time we hope our 97-year-old mother gets the closure she deserves,” one group member wrote.

“Our grandfather and great grandfather RN Wayne was a plantation manager in Rabaul and one of the civilian casualties aboard the SS Montevideo Maru,” another member wrote. “RIP Granddad — it is a very strange feeling to miss someone so much even when you have never met.”

The shipwreck will be studied in an non-invasive manner, meaning no artifacts or remains will be removed, ensuring it will remain the final resting site for the 1,080 people who died there, according to the Silentworld Foundation.

Forsaken ‘ghost’ ship to be sunk on the high seas, Brazilian navy says. Here’s why

Someone buried treasure and never returned — then volunteer found it 1,000 years later

Massive burial site tied to Mayan deity is uncovered — with some bodies headless

Mummified creatures — used by ancient cult — found sealed in Egyptian coffin