law and under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy. Ommaney Bay received two battle stars for her World War II service. A total of 95 Sailors were lost, including two personnel from an assisting destroyer who were killed when the torpedo warheads on Ommaney Bay finally went off. The order to abandon ship was given as the possibility of stored torpedo warheads exploding at any moment increased. The second bomb exploded close to the starboard side after rupturing the fire main on the second deck and passing through the hanger deck. A series of explosions were caused by one of the bombs that entered the flight deck and detonated below, among the fully-gassed aircraft in the forward third of the hanger deck. The Japanese kamikaze crashed into Ommaney Bay’s starboard side, releasing two bombs and causing severe damage. This discovery allows the families of those lost some amount of closure and gives us all another chance to remember and honor their service to our nation.” We would also like to thank the team of Australian divers from DPT Scuba David Tipping, Chris McCran, Aimee McCran, Samir Alhafith, Heeman Lee and John Wooden for their deep diving expertise and assistance identifying the Ommaney Bay. “It is with sincere gratitude that I thank the Sea Scan Survey team Mick Stefurak, Neil “Snake” Krumbeck and Joe Brothers for confirming the location of this wreck site. “Ommaney Bay is the final resting place of American Sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country,” said NHHC Director Samuel J. This information correlated with location data for the wreck site provided to NHHC in 2019 by Vulcan, LLC (formerly Vulcan, Inc.). NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch used a combination of survey information provided by the Sea Scan Survey team and video footage provided by the DPT Scuba dive team, to confirm the identity of Ommaney Bay. While operating in the Sulu Sea, Ommaney Bay was hit and eventually mortally wounded by a twin-engine Japanese suicide plane on Jan. By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abigayle Lutz
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