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investigator exploring the subaquatic wreck of an American aircraft postman have discovered what ’s lead of a wood - impanel Ford auto from the 1940s in the ship ’s hanger bay . It ’s not clear what the vehicle is doing there , but the researchers think it may have been used as a staff car by naval military officer during World War II .
The find was announcedlate last monthby the Ocean Exploration political program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) , which ordinate an expedition 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 damaged in scrap during theBattle of Midwayin other June 1942 ; it was yield to Hawaii for repairs when it was sink by bomber from a Japanese torpedo on June 7 , 1942 .
The new geographic expedition also revealed the remains of threeDouglas SBD Dauntlessdive - bombers on table — the first time that any warplanes from the Midway difference have been discovered underwater .
Research suggest that two of the aircraft were from another American aircraft carrier but had landed on the Yorktown after being damaged in the fighting at Midway ; the third aircraft seems to have been one of Yorktown ’s reserve bombers .
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
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The Yorktown crash was found in 1988 during an expedition led by the notable American oceanographerRobert Ballard(who co - led the 1985 pleasure trip that find theTitanic ) , about 1,000 miles ( 1,600 kilometers ) northwest of Honolulu and at a depth of about 18,000 foundation ( 5,500 metre ) .
That ’s far too deep for human plunger and the Yorktown wreck has been search only once before , with a remotely - operated underwater fomite ( ROV ) in 2023 . The latest discoveries were also made with ROVs tethered 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 researchers were surprised to retrieve the remains of the Ford car , but that they were symbolic of the Yorktown explorations .
" dive like those on Yorktown highlight how little we know about what rest in our deep sea — from its chronicle to maritime living and habitats it harbors , " he said in an email .
" In increase to allow the public to watch more about American history , the courage of our armed services , and the museum that lie at the bottom of the sea , these honkytonk help the country well understand and appreciate the overall need to explore and manage our ocean resources , " Hartmeyer read .
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
The front license plate of the vehicle read " SHIP SERVICE _ _ _ NAVY " .
The remains of three Dauntless prima donna hoagie were found on one of the carrier ’s elevators , which were used to transmit aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar deck .
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 - operated submersed vehicle to figure a hand - paint wall painting recording the bearer ’s voyages .
The remains of the automobile were located on the port ( leftover ) side of the aft ( rearward ) of the toter ’s vast hanger deck , which ran almost the duration of the ship beneath its uppermost trajectory pack of cards . It has been tentatively identify as a 1940 or 1941 Ford Super Deluxe ' Woody ' wagon .
The vehicle was paint black and had exterior wood paneling when it was fresh , but the panelling has now rot away underwater . The research worker call up it may have been a staff car for naval officers or that it was used by the carrier ’s crew .
Sunken discoveries
As well as finding the clay of the Ford , the researchers used an ROV to image a hired hand - paint mural onboard the wrecked carrier that portray its voyages around the macrocosm .
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According to the statement , the mural measures 42 feet by 12 foot ( 12.8 by 3.6 m ) and depict " the pride that Yorktown ’s boater had for their ship , the global scale leaf of Yorktown ’s activities , and the strategical role that the ship play in defending the United States . "
The discoveries will help researchers tack together together what actually happened during the famous wartime attack on the U.S. military understructure at Midway Atoll in the northern Pacific Ocean . The onslaught was defeated by U.S. forces and is call back to have been an attempt by Japan to entice American warships away from their groundwork atPearl Harborin Hawaii .
" The military mission to Yorktown is exploration at its highest level , helping solve mysteries in unexplored parts of U.S. waters , " Hartmeyer said .
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