​Trash or Treasure?

Who’s the real villain here?
Photo by Ocean Infinity

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Off the coast of California, autonomous underwater drones recently discovered the nearly intact remains of the USS Stewart 3,500 feet below the surface. This is quite the turn of events—considering it first sank off the coast of East Java, over 13,000 miles away![1]
 
After the Battle of Badung Strait, the ship was deemed damaged beyond repair, and the US Navy decided to scuttle the vessel rather than allow it to fall into enemy hands—which is why they were so surprised to discover it a year later as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Fleet.
 
Turns out, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
 
The ship was welcomed back into the US fleet during the occupation of Japan, but the reunion was short lived when the Navy decided to use it as target practice—finding its end once again, this time off the coast of California.
 
Reflection
Though receiving numerous awards and honors during its 26 years of service, it seems the USS Stewart was never really appreciated by its original stewards, which begs the question:
 
Who’s the real villain here? The people who abandoned the ship at the first sign of vulnerability? Or the ones who recognized its worth and raised it from the depths of destruction?
 
And what about you? Do the people around you recognize your worth and help raise you up?
 
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​Reference
[1] Natale, M. (2024, October 7). “Underwater drones just found a ‘ghost ship’ from WWII at the bottom of the Pacific.” Popular Mechanics. www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a62470270/wwii-pacific-ghost-ship/