Sunk Second World War cruiser USS Houston finally found in Java sea

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Sunken vessel off coast of Java confirmed as wreck of USS Houston
Houston was sunk by the Japanese during the Battle of Sunda Strait in 1942
The wreck has long been a popular destination for recreational divers

By Associated Press and Ted Thornhill for MailOnline

Published: 18:28 EST, 18 August 2014 | Updated: 12:27 EST, 19 August 2014

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A sunken vessel in the Java Sea has been confirmed as the wreck of the USS Houston, a cruiser sunk by the Japanese during a ferocious Second World War battle.

It serves as the final resting place for about 700 sailors and Marines.

The wreck has long been a popular recreational diving site, but has been confirmed by US and Indonesian Navy divers as being the remains of the Houston, nicknamed The Galloping Ghost Of The Java Coast.

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Wreck identified: U.S and Indonesian Navy divers have confirmed that a sunken vessel in the Java Sea is the crusier USS Houston (pictured), destroyed by the Japanese in 1942

The wreck has been popular with recreational divers for a while - but it was only recently that the wreck was confirmed as that of USS Houston

The Houston's commanding officer, Captain Albert H Rooks, posthumously received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism

The ship carried 1,068 crewmen, of which only 291 survived both the attack and being prisoners of war

The Japanese sank the Houston during the Battle of Sunda Strait on February 28, 1942.

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The ship carried 1,068 crewmen, but only 291 sailors and Marines survived both the attack and being prisoners of war.

The Houston's commanding officer, Captain Albert H Rooks, posthumously received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism.

Divers explore the wreckage of the USS Houston in Indonesia

Firepower: President Franklin Roosevelt under the big guns of the USS Houston in 1938

Poignant: Navy officials pass a wreath to sailors from the Mobile Diving Salvage Unit, who studied the wreck of the Houston

Far from home: The wreck of the USS Houston lies in the Java Sea

THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSTON

USS Houston was launched in 1929 and in the Second World War was one of the U.S Navy's most powerful ships.

Classed as a heavy cruiser, she was deployed to the Java Sea in 1942 to engage a formidable Japanese force, along with ships from the British, Australian and Dutch navies.

In the Battle of Java Sea in 1942 Houston and 14 allied ships took the fight to 17 Japanese war ships. At the time it was the biggest sea battle since the Battle of Jutland in the First World War.

Five allied ships were lost and the Houston retreated to Banten Bay. Its only means of escape was through the Sunda Strait - and that was blocked by several Japanese destroyers.

She was hit by several torpedoes, with Japanese ships also raking the decks with machine gun fire.

The original crew comprised 1,061 men and of those 368 survived.

U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Harry Harris said on Monday that divers have documented evidence the watery gravesite has been disturbed.

Assessments conducted in June to determine the condition of the Houston found that hull rivets, a metal plate and unexploded ordnance were removed from the ship. There is also oil actively seeping from the hull.

Officials are working on measures to keep the site from further disturbance.

'In my discussions with our Indonesian navy partners, they share our sense of obligation to protect this and other gravesites,' Harris said in a statement. 'Surveying the site, of course was only the first step in partnering to respect those sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the freedoms and security that we richly enjoy today.'

The Navy History and Heritage Command concluded that all of the recorded data is consistent with the identification of the former USS Houston.

Resting off the west coast of Java, Indonesia, the ship remains sovereign property of the United States.

The Navy estimates there are more than 17,000 sunken ships and aircraft resting on the ocean floor worldwide.