USS Milwaukee (CL-5) While steaming north of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico on 14 February 1939, "Milwaukee" discovered the deepest place in the Atlantic Ocean. The spot—which has a depth of —is now known as the "Milwaukee Deep". By January 1941, the ship had returned to Cruiser Division 2 which was now assigned to the Caribbean Patrol, commanded by Rear Admiral Jonas H. Ingram, part of the Neutrality Patrol established after the war began. Cruiser Division 2 was ordered to patrol the Atlantic between Trinidad, the Cape Verde Islands and the eastern bulge of Brazil in April, although "Milwaukee" was not immediately available. The
Challenger Deep Challenger Deep The Challenger Deep is the deepest known point in the Earth's seabed hydrosphere, with a depth of by direct measurement from submersibles, and slightly more by sonar bathymetry. It is in the Pacific Ocean, at the southern end of the Mariana Trench near the Mariana Islands group. The Challenger Deep is a relatively small slot-shaped depression in the bottom of a considerably larger crescent-shaped oceanic trench, which itself is an unusually deep feature in the ocean floor. The Challenger Deep's bottom is about long and wide, with gently sloping sides. The closest land to the Challenger Deep is