Stunning Images Of USS Hornet From Its Recent Discovery

In early February, R/V Petrol dove 17, 000 feet below the surface of the Pacific and found USS Hornet. This was a discovery of epic proportions, as the historic ship sank over 77 years ago after taking roles parts in both the Battle of Midway and the Doolittle Raid.

The exploration company has been launching their remote sub down to take pictures and video footage and has been systematically sharing them on their Facebook page over the past few weeks. You can see the new images and footage below. 

USS Hornet

The finding of this ship is significant because the ship itself made a difference in World War II. USS Hornet (CV-8) was launched in 1940 as a Yorktown-class aircraft carrier and was sent off to fight in the Pacific Theater.

She fought nobly during the war taking major roles in both the Battle of Midway and the launch of the Doolittle Raid but was eventually sunk on October 27th, 1942. During heavy fighting, Hornet was targeted by Japanese dive bombers, many of which scored major hits on both the hull and the bridge.

She eventually succumbed to her damage, sinking into the Pacific and taking 140 of the crew with her.  The remaining survivors were picked up by surrounding ships.

The latest pictures are below.

“The main section of hull on the port side where the break is..” -RV Petrel

“Portside 20mm Oerlikon guns.” – RV Petrel

“This coat somehow managed to get wedged into a doorway.” – RV Petrel

“Forward end of the island.” – RV Petrel

“A powder storage case and the only thing we came across that has Hornet written on it.”- RV Petrel

“A 1.1″ Quad AA gun underneath the flight deck on the bow of the Hornet.” – RV Petrel

“Some of the damage found on the flight deck.” – RV Petrel

“The valve on this cylinder must have been pretty good because it never failed and the cylinder was crushed by the pressure which was 550 bar or just over 8000 psi at this depth.” – RV Petrel

“Aft 5″ gun director.” -RV Petrel

“What is this? Its aluminum and part of it is painted red. Lots of speculation onboard but it’s in pretty bad shape.”  – RV Petrel 

“The tail end of a 500lb bomb. — at The South Pacific.” – RV Petrel 

They’ve also released video footage of a Wildcat which we’ve only seen pictures of before. You can see in from all angles in the video below.