World War II era warships carrying thousands of ammunitions that sank in the waters of Cilacap, Central Java have yet to be identified. However, it is suspected that this is a US warship that sank during World War II.
Inside and in the surrounding area, warehouses containing various types of ammunition and weapons were found, as well as scattered bullets.
“Can’t be sure unless there is authentic evidence, such as writing, bells and so on,” said Lieutenant Colonel Yudo Ponco, Commander of the Diving Team, on July 21, 2023.
Yudo explained that the condition of the wreck at the bottom of the waters between Nusakambangan and Cilacap was not intact.
Yudo added that the diving team could not reach all the deepest parts because it was so dark.
“It is totally not recognizable, where is the bow, stern, side,” he said.
Visually, the camera cannot record the wreck because the water is turbid, and the current is strong. However, from the identification results, the ship is estimated to have a length of between 40 to 50 meters.
Yudo predicted that the ship has quite a large armory and it carries ammunition and weapons in large quantities.
“This ammunition was made in Pennsylvania in 1933,” said Ady Setyawan, historical diver.
This ship is speculated to be USS Langley, a US Navy’s first aircraft carrier that was operated during World War II. The ship was said to be attacked by Japanese fighter planes while carrying P40 airplanes to Java.
