SS Montevideo Maru shipwreck found 81 years after Australia's worst maritime disaster

By Brianna Morris-Grant

The Montevideo Maru was sunk by an American submarine off the coast of the Philippine island of Luzon.(AAP/Australian War Memorial, file photo)

The ship at the centre of the worst maritime disaster in Australia's history has been discovered more than 4,000 metres beneath the sea, 81 years after it sank.

Japanese transport ship SS Montevideo Maru sank with about 979 Australian troops and civilians on July 1, 1942, off the coast of the Philippines.

It was torpedoed by an American submarine, which did not know it was carrying prisoners of war and civilians captured in Rabaul.

In total, about 1,060 prisoners were lost, including 850 service members and 210 civilians from 14 countries.

The location of the wreck has remained a mystery for decades — until now.

SS Montevideo Maru was found after 12 days of searching in the South China Sea, by a team led by not-for-profit Silentworld Foundation, deep-sea survey specialists Fugro and supported by the Department of Defence.

The wreckage will not be disturbed, and no human remains or artefacts will be removed. The site will be recorded for research purposes.

Features found on scans of the wreckage, including the hold, the foremast, and the curve of the bow, match those found on drawings of the Montevideo Maru.  

Silentworld Foundation director John Mullens told ABC News Breakfast there were mixed emotions on board the ship when the discovery was made.

"We're looking at the gravesite of over 1,000 people," he said.

"We lost nearly twice as many [Australians] as in the whole of the Vietnam War, so it's extraordinarily significant for families and descendants.

"[The significance] is a mixture of the technical challenge, which is absorbing and motivating … but on the other side of it is the human side.

"When we first saw the images coming up of the ship no-one had seen for 80 years, since that terrible night, it was pretty emotional stuff.

"We had two people on board who had family members who were lost, so while on the one side there were cheers, on the other there were a few tears. It was very emotional."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hoped the discovery would bring "a measure of comfort" to the families of the victims.

Scans taken of the bottom of the ocean show the shipwreck. (Supplied: Silentworld)

"The extraordinary effort behind this discovery speaks for the enduring truth of Australia's solemn national promise to always remember and honour those who served our country," he said.

"This is the heart and the spirit of Lest We Forget."

'Hugely emotional' moment for families

On board when the wreck was discovered was Andrea Williams, who lost both her grandfather and her great uncle in the disaster.

Ms Williams is a founding member of the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Society, which represents the interests of the descendants.

"Today is an extraordinarily momentous day for all Australians connected with this tragic disaster," Ms Williams said.

Andrea Williams founded the Montevideo Maru Society to represent those who lost family in the disaster. (Supplied: Silentworld )

"Having had a grandfather and great-uncle as civilian internees on Montevideo Maru always meant the story was important to me, as it is to so many generations of families whose men perished.

"I could never understand why it was not a more powerful part of our Australian WWII history.

"Being part of the Silentworld team that has found the wreck has been both hugely emotional and also fulfilling."

Australian Army Chief Lieutenant General Simon Stuart said those involved had met a "terrible fate at sea".

"Today we remember their service, and the loss of all those aboard, including the 20 Japanese guards and crew, the Norwegian sailors and the hundreds of civilians from many nations," he said.

"I want to thank the Silentworld team and the dedicated researchers, including the Unrecovered War Casualties team at army, who have never given up hope of finding the final resting place of the Montevideo Maru."

"A loss like this reaches down through the decades and reminds us all of the human cost of conflict."

Letters from long-dead loved ones

The Japanese prisoner of war ship was transporting Australians and others to Hainan Island when it was sunk by US Navy submarine the USS Sturgeon.

The Sturgeon fired its four torpedoes at the Montevideo Maru. Lifeboats onboard the vessel were launched, but all capsized and the ship sank in less than 11 minutes.

Many families were not told of their relatives' deaths for years. 

Also on board the Montevideo Maru were Australian soldiers who had been stationed with Lark Force at Rabaul. They were captured by conquering Japanese soldiers just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Months later, hundreds of handwritten letters written by the men were dropped from the skies by Japanese bombers over Port Moresby.

By the time they reached their intended destination, all of the authors were dead.

Among them was Ronald Freeman, a gunner with the 17th anti-tank battery in Rabaul, who signed off a letter to his pregnant wife Dorothy and his two-year-old daughter Vicki: "I love you, I love. Kiss Vicki for me. Your loving husband."

First published at ABC Website, April 22, 2023