Why Are Sunken Ships Disappearing In The Java Sea?
Salvage hunters are pillaging sunken World War II ships for scrap metal.
It was the sea bed off the coast of Malaysia. The ships might look like traditional fishing boats from a distance, but they are salvage ships with giant cranes on a closer look.
These ships are scouring the bottom of the sea for a hidden treasure - World War II shipwrecks.
War at Sea
Southeast Asia’s sea saw one of the first sea battles in World War II. The USA imposed sanctions on the Japanese when they invaded China.
Japan was dependent on the USA for most of its raw materials. To find alternate source of materials the Japanese government turned its attention to Southeast Asia, where as many as ten countries with abundant resources were under European and American rule.
To seize the resource the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the American, Dutch, and British Empires. The British, US, and Dutch navy losses mounted as the Japanese hopped from one island to another.
