GENERAL INFO

Recent news

In 2020, divers from our club made a remarkable discovery that reshaped the historical understanding of the USS Peary. Over 2 kilometres from the previously accepted sinking site, substantial wreckage was found including two large bronze propellers with drive shafts still attached. Extensive research confirmed that the size and design of the propellers matched those of the Peary, eliminating all other vessel possibilities.

The Northern Territory’s Heritage Branch was promptly notified and subsequently informed the Commonwealth Government and United States authorities. This find has significant implications: the location and condition of the wreckage suggest that the Peary was attacked earlier than previously believed. It’s now possible that the vessel’s stern was either blown off or sustained such catastrophic damage that it broke free. The Peary, rendered helpless, drifted with the tide under relentless attack from enemy aircraft.

Despite knowing the ship was doomed, her crew valiantly continued the fight until she finally sank. Archival photographs show her heavily down by the stern and slowly drifting toward the open sea before sinking stern-first around 1300 hours—claiming the lives of 80 crew members, including her commanding officer.

Specs

• Built by: William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, PA
• Date of Launch: 9th September 1919
• Class: Clemson-class destroyer
• Length: 314.4 feet
• Displacement: 1,190 tons
• Top Speed: 35 knots
• Engines: Four White-Foster boilers, two geared turbine engines
• Armament: Four 4-inch guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, several machine guns, twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes

Wartime Service

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Peary saw action in the Philippines, sustaining superstructure damage. She was ordered to the Dutch East Indies but mistakenly attacked by RAAF Hudson bombers near Sulawesi—damaging her steering gear and starboard propeller. After repairs, she continued southward, arriving in Darwin on 3rd January 1942.

Her operations in Darwin focused on anti-submarine patrols. On 18th February, while investigating a possible submarine contact, the ship returned to port due to low fuel. On the morning of the attack, she was likely preparing to refuel from the tanker British Motorist. The moment the air raid began, the Peary set out to sea, only to be struck on the stern by bombs, sealing her fate.

Legacy Beneath the Surface

In the 1960s, the Fujita Salvage Company salvaged the wreck to the waterline, but much of her cargo and wreckage remained scattered on the seabed. The recent discovery offers divers a haunting and powerful experience, connecting them to the sacrifice and resilience of the Peary’s crew.

See brochure on the site printed by Northern Territory Government here