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Ocean explorers film world's deepest shipwreck

Shipwrecks - Level 0

Ocean explorers filmed the deepest known shipwreck for the first time. The Japanese Navy sunk the World War II battleship in 1944. It is now on the ocean floor, 6,456 metres deep. The film crew went down to that depth in a special submarine that can work in the deep-sea pressure. The filming happened in two eight-hour dives.

The lead explorer was in the US Navy. He is an adventurer. He is the first person ever to get to the top of all the world's continents, both poles, and the bottom of all the world's oceans. He said: "As a US Navy officer, I'm proud to have helped bring clarity and closure to the [battleship]."

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Shipwrecks - Level 1

Ocean explorers filmed the world's deepest known shipwreck for the first time. The World War II battleship, the USS Johnston, was sunk by the Japanese Navy in 1944. The shipwreck is now on the ocean floor, around 6,456 metres deep. The film crew went down to that incredible depth and darkness in a submersible that can deal with the pressure of the deep ocean. The filming took place during two eight-hour dives.

The lead explorer, Victor Vescovo, was in the US Navy and is an adventurer. He has visited hard-to-get-to places. He is the first person ever to get to the top of all the world's continents, both poles, and the bottom of all the world's oceans. His mission to film the USS Johnston was a personal one. He said: "As a US Navy officer, I'm proud to have helped bring clarity and closure to the USS Johnston."

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Shipwrecks - Level 2

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An ocean exploration team filmed the world's deepest known shipwreck for the first time. The World War II US Navy battleship, the USS Johnston, was sunk by the Japanese Navy in 1944 in the Philippine Sea. The shipwreck is now on the ocean floor, around 6,456 metres deep. The film crew went down to that incredible depth and darkness in a specially built submersible that can deal with the pressure of the deep ocean. They discovered the wreck was about 30 metres deeper than they thought. The filming took place during two eight-hour dives.

The explorers are from the company Caladan Oceanic. Its founder, Victor Vescovo, was in the US Navy. He has a passion for adventure. He visited the world's hardest-to-get-to places and holds the record for being the first person to get to the top of all the world's continents, both poles, and the bottom of all the world's oceans. His mission to film the USS Johnston was a personal one because that ship and his submersible were made in the same shipyard. He said: "As a US Navy officer, I'm proud to have helped bring clarity and closure to the USS Johnston."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Shipwrecks - Level 3

An American ocean exploration team has filmed the world's deepest known shipwreck for the first time. The ship is a World War II US Navy battleship called the USS Johnston. It was sunk by the Japanese Navy on October the 25th, 1944 during the Battle of Samar in the Philippine Sea. The wreck now sits on the ocean floor at a depth of around 6,456 metres. The film crew managed to go down to that incredible depth and darkness and map and film the whole shipwreck. They filmed the ship from a specially built submersible that can deal with the pressure of the deep ocean. They discovered it was about 30 metres deeper than previously thought. The filming took place during two eight-hour dives.

The explorers are from a company called Caladan Oceanic. Its founder is Victor Vescovo, a former US Navy commander. He has a passion for adventure and for visiting some of the world's hardest-to-get-to places. He holds the record for being the first person ever to get to the top of all the world's continents, both poles, and the bottom of all the world's oceans. Mr Vescovo said the mission to film the USS Johnston was a personal one because that ship and his submersible were made in the same shipyard and both served in the US Navy. He said: "As a US Navy officer, I'm proud to have helped bring clarity and closure to the Johnston, its crew, and the families of those who died on it."

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