The debris of a Japanese aircraft carrier sunk by the US during the battle of Midway was discovered by a crew deep-sea explorers specialized in spotting drowned war graves.
The high-frequency sonar readings generated by the autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, were analyzed by the team and with measurements, Dimensions and the location of discovery came to the conclusion that it has to be the carrier Akagi, of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Akagi was found in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument resting in nearly 18,000 feet (5,490 meters) of water more than 1,300 miles (2,090 kilometers) northwest of Pearl Harbor.
The find comes on the heels of the discovery of another Japanese carrier, the Kaga, last week.”You see the damage these things took, and it’s humbling to watch some of the videos of these vessels because they’re war graves.” said Frank Thomson, a historian with the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C.
Sonar images of the Kaga show the bow of the heavy carrier hit the seafloor at a high rate of speed, scattering debris and leaving an impact crater that looks as if an explosion occurred in the ocean. The front of the vessel is buried in mud and sediment after nose-diving about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) to the bottom. The U.S. Bombs that struck the Kaga caused a massive fire that left it charred, but the ship stayed mostly together. Its guns, some still intact, stick out the side.
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