USNS San Miguel

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On August 3, 2015, a four-person team of maritime archaeologists embarked on an expedition to locate the sunken ship using advanced towboard and drift dive surveys within the designated search area where Mission San Miguel was believed to have gone down. Following a meticulously planned search and survey operation, the team pinpointed one substantial and largely intact section of the vessel, along with numerous concentrations of disarticulated wreckage scattered across a relatively small but significant area. The ship's impressive size of 523 feet makes it the largest reported loss in PMNM, offering an intriguing glimpse into the history of World War II era vessels used by the United States Navy, and highlighting the intense pace of wartime shipbuilding efforts as well as the crucial role that petroleum played in military strategy during this time.