On May 11 this year, an unmanned submersible slowly plied its way along the Pacific seabed nearly three miles below the surface of the ocean, hunting its prey. The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) carried a video camera and lights to illuminate a target if found.
For several weeks the search had been underway for the World War II battleship USS Nevada (BB-36), lost in the depths for more than seven decades. Suddenly fragments of a large ship appeared on digital screens in the control room of the mother ship Pacific Constructor high up on the surface: an immense hull resting upside down on the seabed; its bow section close by, with teak planking and an anchor chain clearly visible; further on rested another hull fragment.
The ROV continued its search, soon edging around the third major section. There, painted in white and still clearly visible, hull number 36 came into clear view. The Nevada had been found. But that discovery was not the search team’s only accomplishment.
In announcing the sighting of the warship, scientists and engineers from the marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity and its partner, the underwater archeological firm SEARCH Inc., also resurrected a forgotten chapter in American naval history: the long saga in peace and war of the USS Nevada. It is a story that began at the turn of the 20th century, spanned two world wars, and culminated at the dawn of the nuclear age. The ship’s rich history deserves attention, especially the unprecedented, heroic action of its crew on the U.S. Navy’s darkest day.
