A NOAA Ocean Exploration crew recently found a vehicle inside the hangar of the USS Yorktown, which was sunk by a Japanese submarine in the Pacific Ocean during the Battle of Midway in June 1942.
The find was made April 19 when a remotely operated camera was sent inside the shipwreck as part of an exploration of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, located about 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu.
"It's a car. That's a car," one researcher was heard saying in a livestream, reported the Miami Herald. "That is a full car."
"Wow, isn't that something?" a researcher can be heard saying during a live stream on Sunday.
"Now, that's just amazing," another researcher added.
NOAA Ocean Exploration told the newspaper that they suspect the vehicle is a 1940-41 Ford Super Deluxe "Woody" in black. It sits upright, has flared fenders, chrome trim, a rag top and a spare tire on the back door.
There are several reasons that could explain why it was aboard the Yorktown, officials told the Herald. It could have been Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher's flag car since the Yorktown served as his flagship during World War II.
Another theory is that the jeep could have been brought aboard the vessel for repairs after getting damaged during the Battle of Coral Sea.
"Yorktown's salvage crew worked tirelessly to jettison anti-aircraft guns and aircraft to reduce its list (after the torpedo strike), but did they leave the car, something they could roll off the side?" NOAA officials told the Herald.
Known as the “Fighting Lady,” the Yorktown was commissioned in 1937, measured 806 feet in length and could house 2,000 sailors.
The ship’s wreckage was located 25 years ago during a joint U.S. Navy and National Geographic Society expedition led by Robert Ballard, the founder of Ocean Exploration Trust.
More than 3,400 people were killed in the Battle of Midway, which was waged from June 4-7, 1942. Among those killed were 362 Anerican servicemembers.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
