MIDWAY ATOLL, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (AP) - A group of deep-sea researchers looking for sunken World War II ships have found a second Japanese aircraft carrier that went down in the Pacific during the historic Battle of Midway.
Vulcan Inc. director of undersea operations Rob Kraft says an initial review of sonar data captured Sunday shows what could be either the Japanese carrier Akagi or the Soryu resting deep in the Pacific.
The Japanese aircraft carrier was directly hit during the Battle of Midway, one of the most decisive exchanges during World War II.(Vulcan Inc.) This is the first time it has looked for warships from the Battle of Midway, which took place six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and left more than 2,000 Japanese and 300 Americans dead.(Vulcan Inc.) The attack from the Japanese Imperial Navy was meant to be a surprise, a strike that would give Japan a strategic advantage in the Pacific. It was thwarted when U.S. analysts decoded Japanese messages and baited their enemy into revealing their plan.(Vulcan Inc.) Nearly halfway between the United States and Japan, a research vessel launching underwater robots has discovered the Kaga, one of the casualties of the famed Battle of Midway.(Vulcan Inc.) Deep-sea explorers have been scouring the world's oceans for sunken World War II ships, honing in on debris fields deep in the middle of the Pacific, where the battle took place.(Vulcan Inc.) Underwater robots are being used during the search operation, based on The Petrel.(Vulcan Inc.) In the years since the June 1942 air and sea battle, which lasted three days, only one of the seven ships that went down (5 Japanese and 2 American) have been located.(Vulcan Inc.) For years, the crew of the 250-foot Petrel has worked with the U.S. Navy and other officials around the world to locate and document sunken battleships. It is illegal to otherwise disturb the underwater military grave-sites, and once found, the exact coordinates of the ships are kept secret.(Vulcan Inc.) This is the first time it has looked for warships from the Battle of Midway, which took place six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and left more than 2,000 Japanese and 300 Americans dead.(Vulcan Inc.) Nearly halfway between the United States and Japan, a research vessel launching underwater robots has discovered the Kaga, one of the casualties of the famed Battle of Midway.(Vulcan Inc.) The find comes on the heels of the discovery of another carrier, the Kaga, last week. The crew of the research vessel Petrel hopes to find all ships lost in the 1942 Battle of Midway, which historians consider a pivotal fight for the U.S. in WWII.
The battle was fought between American and Japanese carriers and warplanes. More than 2,000 Japanese and 300 Americans died.
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