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investigator explore the submerged wreck of an American aircraft carrier have discovered what ’s left of a woodwind instrument - impanel Ford auto from the forties in the ship ’s hanger bay . It ’s not exculpated what the vehicle is doing there , but the researchers suppose it may have been used as a faculty machine by naval officers during World War II .
The find was announcedlate last monthby the Ocean Exploration programme of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) , which coordinated an outing to the wreck of USS Yorktown in April by experts onboard the research vessel Okeanos Explorer .
The researchers were surprised to find the remains of the 1940s Ford automobile amid the wreckage of a sunken U.S. aircraft carrier.
The Yorktown was badly damage in scrap during theBattle of Midwayin early June 1942 ; it was returning to Hawaii for resort when it was sunk by torpedoes from a Japanese submarine on June 7 , 1942 .
The new geographic expedition also discover the remains of threeDouglas SBD Dauntlessdive - bombers on board — the first time that any military plane from the Midway dispute have been discovered underwater .
inquiry suggests that two of the aircraft were from another American aircraft bearer but had landed on the Yorktown after being damage in the fighting at Midway ; the third aircraft seems to have been one of Yorktown ’s military reserve bombers .
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
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The Yorktown wreck was found in 1988 during an expedition lead by the famed American oceanographerRobert Ballard(who co - lead the 1985 expedition that found theTitanic ) , about 1,000 mil ( 1,600 klick ) northwestern United States of Honolulu and at a depth of about 18,000 foot ( 5,500 meters ) .
That ’s far too abstruse for human divers and the Yorktown wreck has been research only once before , with a remotely - operated underwater vehicle ( ROV ) in 2023 . The latest find were also made with ROVs tether to the Okeanos Explorer .
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
Underwater museum
Marine archaeologistPhilip Hartmeyer , who led the NOAA Ocean Exploration expedition , told Live Science the investigator were surprised to find the stiff of the Ford cable car , but that they were emblematic of the Yorktown explorations .
" Dives like those on Yorktown high spot how little we get laid about what lies in our deep ocean — from its history to maritime biography and home ground it harbors , " he state in an electronic mail .
" In gain to allowing the public to learn more about American history , the bravery of our military , and the museum that lie at the bottom of the ocean , these dives help the nation comfortably understand and appreciate the overall need to search and manage our ocean resource , " Hartmeyer said .
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
The front licence plate of the vehicle reads " SHIP SERVICE _ _ _ NAVY " .
The corpse of three Dauntless dive bombers were found on one of the carrier ’s elevators , which were used to transfer aircraft between the flight deck of cards and the repair shed pack of cards .
The Yorktown sank in 1942 after being badly damaged during the Battle of Midway . The wreck was discovered in 1988 and has only been research once before .
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
The researchers also used a remotely - manoeuver subaqueous vehicle to image a hand - paint wall painting recording the common carrier ’s voyages .
The stiff of the motorcar were locate on the port ( left ) side of the aft ( rear ) of the flattop ’s Brobdingnagian hanger pack of cards , which ran almost the length of the ship beneath its topmost flight pack of cards . It has been tentatively identify as a 1940 or 1941 Ford Super Deluxe ' Woody ' waggon .
The vehicle was paint black and had exterior Sir Henry Wood paneling when it was new , but the paneling has now rotted aside underwater . The researchers think it may have been a staff car for naval ship’s officer or that it was used by the carrier ’s crew .
Sunken discoveries
As well as regain the remains of the Ford , the researchers used an ROV to image a hand - painted mural onboard the wrecked postman that portrayed its voyages around the world .
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consort to the financial statement , the mural measures 42 ft by 12 feet ( 12.8 by 3.6 m ) and shows " the pridefulness that Yorktown ’s sailors had for their ship , the ball-shaped shell of Yorktown ’s activities , and the strategical role that the ship played in defending the United States . "
The discoveries will avail researcher nibble together what actually happened during the renowned wartime attack on the U.S. military base at Midway Atoll in the northern Pacific Ocean . The blast was defeat by U.S. forces and is call up to have been an endeavour by Japan to lure American combat ship away from their base atPearl Harborin Hawaii .
" The mission to Yorktown is geographic expedition at its highest grade , helping solve mystery in unexplored parts of U.S. waters , " Hartmeyer say .
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