Latest news with #PhilHartmeyer
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NOAA wants your help identifying this WWII shipwreck's mystery car
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 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. 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.' '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.'
Miami Herald
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Car found parked in hangar of sunken WWII ship, baffling historians. See photos
Defying all logic, a vehicle has been found parked in the hangar of the USS Yorktown, which was famously sunk in the Pacific by a Japanese submarine during World War II. The baffling discovery was made Saturday, April 19, when NOAA Ocean Exploration sent a remotely operated camera inside the massive wreck, about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu. Yorktown was an 809-foot-long aircraft carrier, known to host about 2,200 personnel, 90 aircraft ... and apparently, one car. 'It's a car. That's a car,' one surprised researcher was heard saying when tires sporting shiny hubcaps came into view. 'That is a full car.' 'Why is there a car on this boat?' another is heard asking. The vehicle was found upright near the carrier's elevator 3, and immediately had historians scrambling for explanations. One possibility: It's Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher's flag car, they guessed. (USS Yorktown was his flagship.) Closer inspection by the camera revealed flared fenders, hints of a rag top, chrome trim and and a spare tire, researchers said. However, make and model could not be determined, despite the team visiting the vehicle a second time on Sunday. 'Here's an open request to all your automobile vehicle folks out there,' one researcher said in the 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.' NOAA Ocean Exploration marine archaeologist Phil Hartmeyer told McClatchy News the car was 'an exciting find.' '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?' Hartmeyer said. 'Perhaps the car belonged to someone important on the ship or to the fleet: the captain or admiral.' The vehicle may have been brought aboard at Pearl Harbor during a very brief visit for repairs 'sustained during the Battle of Coral Sea,' officials said. A Reddit debate about the vehicle quickly appeared online, with commenters noting 'none of the literature ... mentioned a car being onboard for the battle.' 'Wonder if the car was intended to be offloaded on Midway following the anticipated engagement with the Japanese (if the US was victorious),' one Reddit commenter wrote. 'Hangar space on carriers was (and still is) extremely valuable. Having a car occupying space would be remarkable.' Yorktown was serving at the Battle of Midway in 1942 when Japanese carrier bombers successfully struck it with three bombs, NOAA says. The ship was being towed back to Pearl Harbor for repairs when additional torpedoes from a Japanese submarine hit the starboard side, 'causing the carrier to capsize and sink on the morning of June 7, 1942.' NOAA Ocean Exploration visited the wreck twice as part of a 28-day expedition to explore and map deep water regions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, 'the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area under the U.S. flag' at 582,578 square miles. The expedition marks the first time cameras have been sent inside the wreck, which was first discovered in 1998, officials said. It sits more than 3 miles deep, experts say.
