USS Hornet (CV-8) Found!

[The Rebel]

Pretty amazing as well as it's condition. God Bless All Who Served!

 

[Dipstick]

I, for one, am glad people are doing this. The late Paul Allen was instrumental in funding these searches.

 

[Basket case]

that is awesome. Now onto the Wasp, and the Midway Jap carriers.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Wow, CBS news that isn't "See BS".

 

[Budnicks]

 

[The Rebel]

This same group also found the USS Lexington, USS Indianapolis as well as a few other wrecks https://www.facebook.com/rvpetrel/

 

[hammond472]

How do you lose something that big? Carriers were and still are today the most important battle platforms in war. I doubt if it was really lost. After the Japanese sank it we replaced it with another one with the same name. That probably scared the hell out of them. A lot of things that were deemed negative towards the war effort were not allowed to be in the news thanks to FDR'S war powers act. I can't believe that a carrier with all of its aircraft and support ships could just be lost with no one involved on either side reporting it's whereabouts. My guess is that it's location fell victim to war propaganda.

 

[Basket case]

I'm gonna say that when enemy bullets are coming at you, and your shipmates are dead or dying, your ship is sinking...marking down the exact location of a sinking ship headed for a three mile trip down isn't exactly a priority.....and yeah...during WWll...people did and were told to keep their months shut, unlike today when there are millions of cell phones taking video. Imagine trying to pull off D Day in this day and age.....

 

[Xp29h]

Remember they didn’t have GPS in those days. During a battle the ship would be maneuvering to avoid everything. As the battle got hot and as they got hit, navigation would take a back seat.

3 1/2 miles down, that ship would not go straight either. The undersea is a really vast wide open area. Technology able to locate wasn’t around for he longest time. Doesn’t surprise me it’s exact location was a mystery.. That’s pretty darn deep!

 

[The Rebel]

There are a few reasons why this happens. The military never knows exactly where a vessel sinks as when it goes under the currents carry it away from where it was last spotted on the surface.

How do you lose something that big? Carriers were and still are today the most important battle platforms in war. I doubt if it was really lost. After the Japanese sank it we replaced it with another one with the same name. That probably scared the hell out of them. A lot of things that were deemed negative towards the war effort were not allowed to be in the news thanks to FDR'S war powers act. I can't believe that a carrier with all of its aircraft and support ships could just be lost with no one involved on either side reporting it's whereabouts. My guess is that it's location fell victim to war propaganda.

 

[zigs]

I'm gonna say that when enemy bullets are coming at you, and your shipmates are dead or dying, your ship is sinking...marking down the exact location of a sinking ship headed for a three mile trip down isn't exactly a priority.....and yeah...during WWll...people did and were told to keep their months shut, unlike today when there are millions of cell phones taking video. Imagine trying to pull off D Day in this day and age.....

Correct, not to mention even as big as the Hornet was it didn't sink 3 miles straight down , it probably driffed for a mile or so.

 

[zigs]

What's amazing is how clean it is after 77 yrs . little to no salt damage everything in tact. This would be divers dream if it were in shallower water.

 

[hammond472]

Im sure that they had a pretty good idea of it's location. It's not like losing your car keys. At 20,000 tons that's a pretty big chunk of iron. It wasn't in an area where it could be salvaged or recovered by the enemy. Public moral was critical and our secrets were safe at that depth. Also it didn't sink immediately. After the morning attack it's fires were extinguished but it was dead in the water. The Northampton CA-26 even had her in tow for an hour before the second attack which was in the afternoon. At that point she had listed to 18 degrees and the decision was made to abandon her. I still think it was for propaganda that her location was kept secret.

 

[Basket case]

The Yorktown (CV-5) is just as clean. And in very good condition when Robert Ballard found her

 

[WileE]

Tombs of true heroes, a debt for which we can never repay.

 

[zigs]

Tombs of true heroes, a debt for which we can never repay.

And sad to say not taught in our schools any more.

 

[The Rebel]

I agree they had a rough idea but they had to get out of dodge as the Japanese Navy was on its way. It was Oct of 1942 and Pearl Harbor wasn't even 1 year old yet, we were still trying to get over that as well. They also didn't want to go around broadcasting the news (not like today) to further dampen moral on the home front.

The country was still ramping up war production to combat a war on 2 fronts with extreme losses of shipping in the Atlantic.

Im sure that they had a pretty good idea of it's location. It's not like losing your car keys. At 20,000 tons that's a pretty big chunk of iron. It wasn't in an area where it could be salvaged or recovered by the enemy. Public moral was critical and our secrets were safe at that depth. Also it didn't sink immediately. After the morning attack it's fires were extinguished but it was dead in the water. The Northampton CA-26 even had her in tow for an hour before the second attack which was in the afternoon. At that point she had listed to 18 degrees and the decision was made to abandon her. I still think it was for propaganda that her location was kept secret.

 

[Basket case]

plus.....the Pacific is pretty big

 

[Xp29h]

Still a great story! Nice to see a report about the things that are truly important in life!

I can’t imagine sitting there looking at the wreck on tv and seeing my station where I spent so much time! It would be great and very weird at the same time! Think of all the memories that would come flooding back! Overwhelming I’m sure. The men, time, battles etc..