Second World War
A new scientific study has revealed that World War II ammunition dumps on the seabed—long regarded solely as hazardous legacy sites—also support surprisingly rich marine biodiversity.
The findings suggest that, in addition to posing management and safety concerns, these munitions fields may now function as unintentional artificial reefs hosting complex ecological communities.
An international expedition led by the Ocean Exploration Trust and partners, including NOAA and the Naval History and Heritage Command, has confirmed the discovery of the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki—lying wrecked at a depth of over 800 metres in Iron Bottom Sound, Solomon Islands.
From 1 November 2025, Scotland’s underwater heritage gains new protections: the shipwrecks of Scapa Flow and the 1745 wreck of the Swedish East Indiaman Queen of Sweden are now designated Historic Marine Protected Areas. The move ensures these powerful symbols of maritime history remain preserved—and accessible—while defended against disturbance.
Eighty-two years after it sank during the pivotal Battle of Midway, USS Yorktown has been revisited in a landmark deep-sea expedition. Using remotely operated vehicles, researchers from NOAA have conducted the first detailed visual survey of the wreck, revealing remarkable preservation and an unexpected find—a 1940s-era vehicle resting on the hangar deck.
The two wrecks are located at depths of 318m and 253m, a few kilometres from Trondheim city centre, and have never been visited by divers or underwater vehicles before. The Norwegian Navy located the wrecks using a Hugin AUV, an autonomous wireless underwater robot that can be programmed to map the seabed with sonar.
The USS Edsall (DD-219), a Clemson-class destroyer sunk during World War II, has been discovered 200 miles east of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. The wreck was located during a hydrographic survey by the Royal Australian Navy, using advanced robotic technology.
Commissioned in 1920, the Edsall served in the Mediterranean and later in the Pacific. Known as the "Dancing Mouse" due to her agility, she was part of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet and played a critical role in defending Allied territories.
The arrangement will see Emperor promote its new partner to a more global audience using its large customer base and strong market reputation as well as incorporating some of the operational and development work.
Bilikiki is a long-established and highly-regarded company that have delivered wonderful diving experiences to their guests in the Solomon Islands since the 1980s. As one of the only companies to operate in this region, they are undoubted experts in providing top-quality holidays to their guests in this part of the world.
In the waters of the Strait of Messina and the Grecanica Area in Calabria, Italy, there are many shipwrecks and submerged artefacts dating from ancient to modern times, with more still to be found. Andrea Murdock Alpini takes us on a journey of discovery to several wreck sites in the area and their history, as well as a beautiful underwater cave.
The USS Stewart was deliberately sunk during a US Navy exercise in May 1946, with its final resting place now located in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off northern California. This information comes from a statement by the Air Sea Heritage Foundation and Search Inc., both of which participated in the investigation. The search was led by Ocean Infinity in collaboration with NOAA and the US Navy.
The wreck of the USS Harder, a United States submarine renowned for its heroic actions during World War II, has been located off the coast of the Philippines. Lying at a depth of 3,000 feet, this find marks a poignant moment in naval history, bringing closure to a chapter that has remained open since the submarine was lost in 1944.
