The Only Two Japanese Ships Sunk Off the US Coast During World War II Have Been Found
After more than 80 years, two Japanese ships, Cheribon Maru and Kotohira Maru, have been discovered off the coast of Alaska. These vessels are the only known Japanese ships sunk near the United States during World War II. The discovery, made during a July 2024 expedition led by Dominic Bush of Ships of Discovery, Inc., sheds light on the lesser-known Aleutian Islands Campaign, a significant yet often overlooked battle on North American soil.
On an underwater archaeological mission, researchers came across the remains of the two Japanese freighters. Kotohira Maru, a 5,000-ton ship sunk in January 1943 by a U.S. Navy weather plane, was found in relatively intact condition 300 feet below the surface, half a mile from its last known position. “It’s a mass grave,” Bush shared, noting the ship's somber state on the ocean floor.
Cheribon Maru, a 3,000-ton freighter sunk in November 1942, was found in much worse shape, covered in kelp.
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