Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Michael Delizo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775635040816viber_image_2026-04-08_11-44-16-753.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">In December 1944, the Japanese Fleet Carrier Ship Oryoku Maru carried around 1,620 POWs to be taken to Japan to work in labor camps. Several POWs died through injuries, starvation, suffocation, and other brutal causes. As the ship proceeded to Olongapo across Subic Bay, it was relentlessly bombed by American planes from USS Hornet causing it to sink. Other prisoners were able to swim to the shore, however, about 270 POWs reportedly died onboard. <em>📷 National Museum of the Philippines/Facebook</em><br/></span></span></span></div><p>SUBIC BAY — After more than 80 years, history resurfaces in Subic Bay. This time through artifacts brought up from the wreck of the World War II Japanese transport ship Oryoku Maru by American divers.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/1/us-to-recover-wwii-dead-from-hell-ship-in-subic-1201">US to recover WWII dead from ‘Hell Ship’ in Subic</a></div><p>Since February, the United States has been conducting recovery operations in the area, returning to the very ship it bombed and sank in 1944, sending it to the depths along with scores of prisoners of war, many of them Americans.</p><p>On Wednesday, ABS-CBN News boarded the US Navy’s rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor, anchored directly above the wreck site, where Oryoku Maru lies about 80 feet beneath the surface.</p><p>Weeks into the mission, divers have yet to recover human remains. But they have retrieved what they describe as “a fair amount” of artifacts, mostly household goods, enough to tell the story and to give the information needed.</p><p>“Some of the artifacts that we’ve found are indicative of the individuals who are on the ship—meaning we have found artifacts that would likely have been possessions or cargo of the Japanese individuals who are on board,” said Meghan Mumford, the mission’s scientific recovery expert and forensic underwater archaeologist.</p><p>“A lot of it does seem to be household goods that were being transported with those individuals who were evacuating back to Japan, so we have found some evidence that does substantiate that both Japanese and allied troops were on board the ship,” she continued.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/5/from-outbreak-to-surrender-a-look-back-at-world-war-two-1444">From outbreak to surrender: A look back at World War Two</a></div><p>The recovered items will be brought to a laboratory in Hawaii for analysis and joint forensic review.</p><p>US authorities said artifacts not directly tied to American service members may eventually be turned over to the National Museum of the Philippines.</p><p>“If it’s something that is not tied directly to a US service member, we conduct that joint forensic review and then we hand those things over to the National Museum,” said operations team leader Capt. Barrett Breland.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>A MISSION FOR CLOSURE </strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnationalmuseumofthephilippines%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02HGtFzTvvbALfmsmL7MtqrFzqKdPyPXyP2nEqUwJHeg1XDihNz9s6aS9A3tkFYiD5l&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="788" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Dubbed a “hell ship,” Oryoku Maru was carrying 1,620 prisoners of war—including hundreds of Americans—crammed into overcrowded holds and subjected to brutal conditions while en route from the Philippines to Japan and other parts of the empire when it was attacked in December 1944.</p><p>Eight decades later, the US describes the ongoing mission as its “largest and most complex” recovery effort to date to account for those who perished in the sinking.</p><p>The multiyear effort began three years ago with an investigation of the site, using advanced underwater vehicles to generate detailed three-dimensional images of the wreck—work that later enabled the team to begin excavation.</p><p>“The story is directly tied to the shared history and sacrifice between the United States and the Philippines and the United States or American and Filipino people. The mission reflects our shared commitment to ensuring that those who gave their lives for freedom are never ever forgotten,&quot; said US Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires Robert Ewing. </p><p>&quot;It allows us to honor their extraordinary courage and their sacrifice while working to bring closure to families who have waited decades for answers,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>INTO THE DARK</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The wreck lies at a depth of about 17 to 25 meters, where divers contend with poor visibility and a structure that has reportedly undergone extensive scuttling.</p><p>“The dive is very low visibility. If any visibility is almost completely black down there, so you’re doing it almost entirely blind. It’s also an enclosed space which is an extra risk,” said Chief Navy Diver Jason Thurston.</p><p>The excavation phase of the mission is initially scheduled to run until May.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oKP1YMYrZF8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xFMYgyrDdM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L8sYD4wWkZs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wCiT1z6IyrA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>On Wednesday, ABS-CBN News boarded the US Navy’s rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor, anchored directly above the wreck site, where Oryoku Maru lies about 80 feet beneath the surface.</p>

On Wednesday, ABS-CBN News boarded the US Navy’s rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor, anchored directly above the wreck site, where Oryoku Maru lies about 80 feet beneath the surface.

Artifacts recovered from WWII ‘hell ship’ wreck as US searches for fallen in Subic

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Artifacts recovered from WWII ‘hell ship’ wreck as US searches for fallen in Subic

Michael Delizo,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 08, 2026 03:59 PM PHT

Read More:

Oryoku Maru

Hell Ship

US Navy

Subic Bay

Pentagon

World War II

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.