The U.S.S. Johnston Sank in 1944. Divers Just Visited Its Wreckage. The shipwreck, 21,000 feet underwater, was discovered in 2019. A team of explorers has now confirmed that it was the Navy destroyer that played a key role in helping General MacArthur retake the Philippines. A shipwreck near the Philippines was confirmed last month as the U.S.S. Johnston, which Japanese forces sank in 1944.Credit...Caladan Oceanic April 9, 2021, 6:00 a.m. ET Victor L. Vescovo had been sitting for several hours inside a small metal ball some 21,000 feet below the surface of the Philippine Sea last month when bright orange specks began appearing on his computer screen. His sonar had found several small pieces of … something.