Overview
- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency began the first phase on February 12 with 15 specialist divers working alongside U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USNS Salvor, with initial operations scheduled through April.
- The mission is being conducted in partnership with the Philippine government as part of a broader commitment to account for missing service members.
- The wreck lies roughly 550 yards offshore at depths near 90 feet, where poor visibility and decades-old demolition have left a tangled and dangerous site.
- Originally a civilian liner seized by Japan and used to transport Allied POWs, the Oryoku Maru was attacked in Subic Bay in December 1944 by U.S. aircraft unaware prisoners were aboard, resulting in hundreds dead or missing.
- Officials characterize the undertaking as one of DPAA’s largest and most complex to date, with forensic analysis planned at the agency’s Honolulu laboratory for any remains recovered.