USS Emmons Vandalized

The USS Emmons has been vandalized and has sparked outrage, according to Fox news.

The USS Emmons served the United States proudly through World War II, right up until April 6, 1945, when it was attacked by five kamikaze pilots off the coast of Okinawa. One day later, the U.S. Navy sank the destroyer to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Japanese.

The bodies of 60 American sailors went down with the ship.

For 65 years, the Emmons lay peacefully on the ocean floor, guns raised skyward — until recently, when divers discovered that the ship had been vandalized. Its builder’s plaque — the metal plate and vessel’s “birth certificate” — had been removed.

To veterans, it’s like robbing a grave. Unknown thieves dived down to the ship and looted it, making off with its most precious commodity – honor.

A ship’s “data plaque” was usually a brass plate cast or embossed with information on the ship’s significant dates and builder,” Warman’s Guide to WWII Collectibles author John Graf told FoxNews.com. “Usually, there would be just one made for each ship, so each example tends to be unique and command collector interest.”