Last March, we shared images and a video about the discovery of the light cruiser USS Juneau, remembered for the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (who passed away in October 2018) and his team of explorers aboard the RV Petrel have done extraordinary work locating sunken warships, and now the list grows with one of the most important: the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8). The Hornet served as the launch platform for the famous Doolittle Raid and showed remarkable performance at the Battle of Midway.
Every sunken ship is a time capsule. The ocean depths are not very friendly to them, but being far from human contact drastically reduces the chance of further damage. Ships lost in wars are of special interest to researchers, yet pinpointing their location often becomes a gigantic challenge. Not too far back, Paul Allen had to concentrate much of his firepower for years so that the RV Petrel and its crew could keep surprising the world. In fact, they did it again: after revealing the discovery of the Japanese battleship Hiei earlier this month, they announced the find of one of the fallen at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands: the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8).
The USS Hornet
The USS Hornet is remembered for several details of its service in World War II. First, it was the starting point for the Doolittle Raid in April 1942, the first bombing of Japanese territory. The military value of the Doolittle Raid was minimal, but it greatly boosted the morale of US forces, showing that Japanese skies were vulnerable to their bombers. Two months later, the Hornet's aircraft caused considerable damage to the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Midway, where the backbone of the Imperial Navy was essentially broken. The USS Hornet met its final fate on October 26, 1942, at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Targeted by bombers and torpedo planes, and after suffering hits from two Aichi D3A (though technically they were not kamikaze), Admiral Halsey ordered the Hornet to be abandoned and scuttled. 140 sailors lost their lives there. The carrier managed to absorb nine American torpedoes, but Japanese destroyers finished the job in the early hours of the 27th. Since then, the United States Navy has not lost an aircraft carrier in action.
As the images reveal, a drone from the RV Petrel made the discovery during the last days of January, at a depth of 5,330 meters. For safety reasons, the exact location of the USS Hornet will be kept secret, but it is near the Solomon Islands. The locating of the carrier also carries sentimental value, as it was of great interest to Paul Allen, and the entire process is a way to honor his memory.
Official announcement: Click here
