Mystery Beneath the Waves: WWII’s USS Hornet Discovered in Uncharted Depths 17,500 Feet Below Pacific Surface
The collected images and footage detail the damage on the ship hull, a possible result of the Mustin and Anderson gunships which fired 400 five-inch shells into the Hornet prior to the Japanese encounter. Meanwhile, the International Harvester tractor is seen standing upright in the ship’s hangar.
This wasn’t the R/V Petrel’s debut in terms of noteworthy historical findings: the vessel located the USS Lexington in 2018 that was lost to warfare during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. It is, however, a remarkable showcase of what modern, autonomous technology can do for the collective archiving and remembrance of our history.
Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc./R/V PetrelFootage captured by the R/V Petrel of the USS Hornet wreck.
The expedition team is hesitant to disclose where, specifically, it found the Hornet. The motivation behind that stance is entirely rational as Pacific war wrecks have previously been looted, sold in scraps on the black market, or disappeared entirely.
The wreckage is U.S. property despite its discovery in international waters due to the U.S. Sunken Military Craft Act, which states that sunken craft like the Hornet “remain property of the U.S. regardless of their location or the passage of time and may not be disturbed without the permission from the U.S. Navy.”
After reading about the discovery of the USS Hornet, read about the World War II veteran who finally received a love letter sent 72 years ago. Then, learn about the 113-year-old Russian shipwreck believed to contain over $100 billion.
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