NOAA wants your help identifying this WWII shipwreck’s mystery car
No historical records account for the unknown vehicle aboard the USS Yorktown at the time of its sinking. Credit: NOAA
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡
A World War II aircraft carrier sunk by Japanese forces contains an unexpected piece of cargo at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean: a mystery car. Now, NOAA researchers want the public’s help to identify the vehicle inside the remains of the USS Yorktown. The discovery was made on April 19 during a remotely operated deep water survey at the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument encompasses 582,578 square miles. The Yorktown’s remains are located northeast of Midway Island. Credit: NOAA / Popular Science
Papahānaumokuākea is the United States’ largest fully protected contiguous conservation area, and encompasses 582,578 square miles of Pacific Ocean. The area is also home to a number of significant historic shipwrecks, including the USS Yorktown. Instrumental in the Pacific Front during WWII at the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, the 809-foot-long Yorktown was capable of handling 90 planes and staffing around 2,200 personnel. After sustaining damage during Midway, the aircraft carrier was fatally damaged by Japanese submarine torpedoes while en route to Pearl Harbor for repairs on June 7, 1942. First rediscovered in 1998, the Yorktown now rests about three miles below the Pacific Ocean’s surface in Papahānaumokuākea, approximately 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu.
Yorktown’s history is well-documented, but it apparently still held at least one more surprise. During the NOAA Ocean Exploration’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive on April 19, operators were shocked to come across what at first glance appears to be a military jeep.
“It’s a car. That’s a car,” one researcher said during the livestream. “That is a full car.”
“Why is there a car on this boat?” asked another team member.There is no immediate explanation for the car’s inclusion aboard the aircraft carrier. Credit: NOAA
The vehicle is resting upright close to Yorktown’s elevator 3, according to The Miami Herald. Upon guiding the ROV nearer, researchers noted its flared fenders, chrome trim, rag top, and a spare tire still situated on the back door.
“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 Ocean Exploration marine archeologist Phil Hartmeyer said on Monday.
There are at least two theories that could explain why a full car was stashed aboard Yorktown during its final days at sea. The first is that the vehicle was Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher’s flag car, given that Yorktown served as his flagship during World War II. The second hypothesis is that naval officers brought the vehicle aboard for quick repairs after the car sustained damage at the Battle of Coral Sea. Either way, a Reddit thread notes that “none of the [existing] literature… mentioned a car being on board for the battle.”
The Yorktown sits nearly upright at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, approximately three miles underwater. Credit: NOAA
“Wonder if the car was intended to be offloaded on Midway following the anticipated engagement with the Japanese (if the US was victorious),” one commenter added. “Hangar space on carriers was (and still is) extremely valuable. Having a car occupying space would be remarkable.”
For now, the vehicle remains a curious and surprising find for researchers. But you don’t need to be an ROV pilot or WWII historian to help solve the mystery.
“Here’s an open request to all your automobile vehicle folks out there,” one NOAA expedition operator researcher said during Saturday’s livefeed. “I’m sure you are being attentive to this and you understand what you are looking at. Please post on this. It really helps.”
English
Arabic
French
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek