Ang Pahayagan

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — United States Chargé d’Affaires Robert Ewing visited the USNS Salvor in Subic Bay to observe the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s ongoing recovery mission involving the World War II wreck of the Oryoku Maru.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has launched one of its largest and most complex recovery efforts to account for missing Americans linked to the sinking of the Japanese prisoner-of-war transport ship, which was destroyed in Subic Bay in December 1944.

The multi-year underwater mission is being carried out in partnership with the United States Navy and the Philippine government, highlighting continued U.S.-Philippine defense cooperation.

DPAA said the operation will use advanced underwater recovery and identification techniques due to the difficult conditions surrounding the wreck site.

“This mission represents our solemn commitment to provide the fullest possible accounting to families and the nation,” said U.S. Army Capt. Barrett Breland, DPAA team leader for the Oryoku Maru recovery.

Officials said the mission honors the memory of fallen servicemen while reinforcing the enduring alliance between the United States and the Philippines.

📸 U.S. Embassy in the Philippines