Wreck of WWII Destroyer USS Edsall, Subject of ‘Gallant’ Naval Battle, Discovered in Pacific

The wreck of the USS Edsall, a US Navy destroyer sunk during a World War II battle hailed as one of the most valiant actions in US naval history, has been discovered in the Pacific Ocean, CNN reports, citing US and Australian officials.

The Edsall, nicknamed the “dancing mouse” for its evasive maneuvers during its final engagement with the Imperial Japanese Navy, went down off the coast of Australia on March 1, 1942. US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy and Australia’s Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond jointly announced the discovery, crediting advanced hydrographic survey capabilities aboard the naval support ship MV Stoker for locating the wreck.

According to an account by the US Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), the Edsall, under the command of Lieutenant Joshua Nix, was spotted by a Japanese aircraft around 200 miles south-southeast of Christmas Island. Japanese Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, angered by the proximity of the American warship to his forces, ordered an immediate interception.

Outgunned by the newer Japanese fleet, the Edsall – commissioned in 1920 – and its 4-inch guns faced an overwhelming challenge from larger Japanese warships and dozens of aircraft armed with 500-pound bombs. Despite facing over 1,400 shells from battleships and cruisers and a subsequent attack by 26 dive bombers, the Edsall, according to Ambassador Kennedy, sustained only one fatal hit before succumbing.

NHHC Director Samuel Cox described Lieutenant Nix’s actions as a “last gesture of defiance,” employing smoke screens, course changes, and speed variations to evade the barrage while launching torpedoes that narrowly missed a Japanese warship. Even after sustaining damage that hampered its maneuverability, the Edsall continued its fight until ultimately sunk by Japanese gunfire.

Cox described the Edsall’s actions as “one of the most gallant and valorous actions in the history of the U.S. Navy.” While most crew members perished at sea, some were rescued and taken prisoner by the Japanese. After the war, the remains of six Edsall crew members were identified among decapitated bodies found in graves on Celebes Island (now Sulawesi, Indonesia), with five additional unidentified bodies believed to be those of US pilots who had been aboard the ship.