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The US government has thanked the Royal Australian Navy for efforts to locate sunken Clemson Class destroyer USS Edsall (DD-219).
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US officials thanked the Royal Australian Navy for locating the final resting place of the destroyer, which was sunk by a combined Japanese air and sea attack, east of Christmas Island on 1 March 1942.
The wreck site is the final resting place of almost 185 US Navy personnel and 31 US Army Air Force pilots lost when the ship sank.
“Finding the Edsall further cements the strong alliance that has existed between the United States and Australia since World War II, the relationship between the Royal Australian Navy and the US Navy, further reinforced by the current Australia, United Kingdom, United States trilateral security partnership,” the US Department of the Navy said.
“A key component of AUKUS is the development of the most cutting-edge underwater technologies of the type that enabled the discovery of Edsall in the vastness of the Indian Ocean, something not possible just a few years ago.
“These advanced technologies, enabled by interoperability between long-standing Indo-Pacific Allies and partners, ensure our collective capability to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war, if called.”
US officials also recognised the crew of the Australian sloop HMAS Yarra, lost two days after the Edsall, under similar circumstances.
US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy has also thanked the Royal Australian Navy for their efforts in locating the final resting place of the destroyer USS Edsall (DD 219).
“The United States has no closer or more trusted ally than Australia. We have fought side by side for more than 100 years and share a commitment to care for our sailors and their families, our wounded, and those who perish at sea,” she said.
“The Royal Australian Navy recently located and helped identify the USS Edsall, a World-War II, Clemson Class destroyer that was sunk off the coast of Australia in March 1942. Captain Joshua Nix and his crew fought valiantly, evading 1,400 shells from Japanese battleships and cruisers before being attacked by 26 carrier dive bombers, taking only one fatal hit. There were no survivors.
“This is part of our continuing efforts to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will now be able to preserve this important memorial and hope that the families of the heroes who died there will know their loved ones rest in peace. We will tell their stories, learn from their bravery, and be inspired by their sacrifice. We will always remember them.”
