A recent deep-sea exploration by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) led to a surprise discovery within the wreckage of the USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier sunk during the Battle of Midway. Oceanographers were amazed to find a car inside the ship's hangar.
"It's a car. That's a car. That is a full car," said one researcher during the livestream. Another team member asked, "Why is there a car on this boat?" The unexpected find prompted NOAA to seek assistance from the public in identifying the vehicle. "Here's an open request to all your automobile vehicle folks out there. I'm sure you are being attentive to this and you understand what you are looking at. Please post on this. It really helps," remarked a NOAA researcher during a live feed.
Upon guiding the remotely operated vehicle nearer, researchers noted the car's distinct features: flared fenders, chrome trim, a rag top, and a spare tire still situated on the back door. Part of the vehicle's front license plate reads "SHIP SERVICE," but the rest has corroded away. Judging from the photos, NOAA's best guess was that the car is a 1940 or 1941 Ford Super DeLuxe, specifically a Woody Wagon.
One theory suggests that the vehicle might have been Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher's flag car. Alternatively, it could have been brought aboard for repairs after getting damaged at the Battle of Coral Sea. However, its presence on the aircraft carrier remains a mystery, especially since space on such vessels is at a premium during wartime when every inch is vital for aircraft operations.
The USS Yorktown played a role in the United States' Pacific campaign during World War II, particularly in the Battle of Midway. Commissioned in 1937 and known as the "Fighting Lady," the 809-foot-long carrier was capable of handling 90 planes while accommodating around 2,200 personnel. It served as Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher's flagship during the war.
The Battle of Midway, which occurred in June 1942, was a decisive victory for the US Pacific Fleet and marked a critical turning point in the war for the Allies, with Japan losing four aircraft carriers and hundreds of aircraft. The USS Yorktown sustained damage during the intense fighting and was being towed for repairs when it was fatally damaged by Japanese submarine torpedoes on June 7, 1942.
The ship now rests about three miles below the Pacific Ocean's surface in Papahānaumokuākea, approximately 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the United States' largest fully protected contiguous conservation area, encompassing 582,578 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. The USS Yorktown was first located 25 years ago during a joint US Navy and National Geographic Society expedition led by Robert Ballard, the founder of Ocean Exploration Trust.
Despite the shipwreck being well-documented since its discovery, the recent find of the car shows that there is still more to uncover aboard the USS Yorktown. "Even a well-documented shipwreck can still hold mysteries," noted one researcher. Further dives on the wreck have turned up new discoveries, adding to the historical record of the battle.
Reddit threads are filling with speculation about the car's make and the possible reasons it may have ended up on the USS Yorktown. One commenter noted, "Wonder if the car was intended to be offloaded on Midway following the anticipated engagement with the Japanese (if the US was victorious). Hangar space on carriers was (and still is) extremely valuable. Having a car occupying space would be remarkable."
Questions have arisen about why the car wasn't jettisoned when the USS Yorktown was damaged at Midway, before the torpedoes hit, despite the salvage crew's efforts to throw everything that wasn't nailed down over the side.
"In a battle as intense as Midway, the fury and frenzy of the fight and the scale of death and destruction meant that not every aspect or detail of what happened is in the history books," said James Delgado, a lead scientist on a 2023 mission to the USS Yorktown site, in a NOAA release.
NOAA often livestreamed expeditions such as the recent dive on its site. The dives are part of the Beyond the Blue: Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping expedition, which is helping NOAA assess the ocean environment and pave the way for future deep-sea missions. The NOAA team is diving off an unnamed seamount northwest of Midway, investigating the biological and habitat range within this feature and characterizing communities of sponges, corals, and other marine life.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
