Shark Infested Shipwreck Discovered 74 Years After It Was Destroyed By The Japanese

Macumba.

In 1943 in the waters off the off the coast of Australia, a vessel called the SS Macumba was setting sail on a mission. It never completed its mission and was sunk after a pair of Japanese aircraft launched a successful attack on its engine room. The ship sank and was lost beneath the waves, but now 74 years later the shipwreck of the SS Macumba has been discovered.

The Marine National Facility launched an expedition to survey the waters surrounding Australia when they stumbled upon the aging shipwreck. The lost merchant ship was discovered completely by accident when the irregularities were seen on the sonar and their hunch paid off.

“It was also really lucky that we had an excellent team on the sonar who noticed some unusual features on the seafloor near the edge of our search area and asked for the ship to do an extra wide turn outside the search area. That’s when we found it!”

– Hugh Barker (Marine National Facility Voyage Manager)

A deeper survey of the ship shows that it has become an artificial reef that is filled with life, especially sharks. Take a look at the shark-infested shipwreck for the first time in 74 years in this clip from the Marine National Facility.