Rediscovery of USS Kailua (IX-71) Ex-SS Dickenson

The former USS Kailua (IX-71), ex-SS Dickenson, is an historic shipwreck resting on the seabed off the Hawaiian island of O‘ahu, in what is the defensive zone of Pearl Harbor. The wreck is an artifact of the early-to-mid-twentieth century, serving as a cable ship for the laying and maintenance of telegraphic cables, and as a vessel taken into military service during World War II. It is a significant cultural resource in deep water, with a high level of preservation; it is also a rare surviving example of a specialized form of ship that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, the cable ship. Cable ships remain an important part of the maritime world in the twenty-first century.