Gamble Lost: How Imperial Japan Failed At the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Tokyo decided to roll the iron dice and the battle did not go in its favor, resulting in the loss of the war and its empire.
Key point: America had regained the momentum with the Battle of Midway, but Imperial Japan was still fighting and a big threat. Here is how this conflict started to turn even more against Tokyo.
In late October 1944, the United States and Japan fought what was, by the most useful metrics, the largest naval battle in history. An American armada of more than 300 ships intended to begin the liberation of the Philippines at the island of Leyte. Nearly seventy Japanese warships sought to stop that invasion. The fleets collided in dramatic fashion, with moments of terror and heroism on both sides. By the end, the United States had established a foothold in the Philippines, and the Imperial Japanese Navy was finished as a major fighting force.
A submersible piloted by Caladan Oceanic has fully mapped the wreckage
The expedition holds the record of being the deepest shipwreck dive in history
Victor Vescovo, who led the dive, said the ship is remarkably well intact
USS Johnston is famed for the bravery of her crew when outnumbered by the Japanese navy before she was sunk at the
Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944
Of the 327 US naval personnel aboard the USS Johnston, just 141 survived
Previous record for deepest shipwreck was a German vessel found at 18,904ft