The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is reporting that they have found the World War II aircraft carrier USS Independence. The ship, which was used in the Pacific during the war and later used to test nuclear weapons, is resting in 2600 feet of water near the Farallon Islands of California.
Researchers say that the ship’s hull and flight deck are clearly visible, that there appears to be a plane waiting in the hangar bay and, overall, that the Independence is “amazingly intact.”
Between November of 1943 and August, 1945 the USS Independence operated in the western Pacific. In 1946, in preparation for the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests, it was used along with 90 other vessels as a target fleet. The ship was damaged but intact and returned to the United States for inspection. After the Navy had completed its studies, the ship was scuttled in January, 1951.
“After 64 years on the seafloor, Independence sits on the bottom as if ready to launch its planes. This ship fought a long, hard war in the Pacific and after the war was subjected to two atomic blasts that ripped through the ship. It is a reminder of the industrial might and skill of the “greatest generation’ that sent not only this ship, but their loved ones to war,” said James Delgado, chief scientist on the Independence mission and maritime heritage director for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in a statement.
The ship was discovered as part of a, mandated, two-year mission to catalogue shipwrecks in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. An estimated 300 ships currently rest in the sanctuary off San Francisco.
The NOAA is getting help with the survey from Boeing and the technology company Coda Octopus. As part of the exploration, Boeing is testing its Echo Ranger, 18.5-foot-long autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) or underwater drone. The drone is equipped with a new 3-D imaging sonar system called Echoscope that is being tested by Coda Octopus.
“Boeing is excited for the opportunity to partner with NOAA to utilize this state of the art technology. The Echo Ranger is uniquely suited for this type of mission and performed perfectly allowing us to conduct a thorough survey of the USS Independence,” said Fred Sheldon, Boeing project manager for AUVs.
Researchers guided the Echo Ranger in an examination of the hull of the independence. They report that the ship is upright but slightly listing to the starboard site. Most of the ships flight deck is intact although there are holes leading to the hangar decks where aircraft were stored. Sonar images of the aircraft carrier are available on the NOAA website.
“By using technology to create three-dimensional maps of the seafloor and wrecks like Independence, we can not only explore, but share what we’ve learned with the public and other scientists,” said Frank Cantelas, archaeologist with NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.
The NOAA reports that there are no plans to enter or disturb the vessel. The area also contains drums of radioactive waste that were dumped in the area between 1946 and 1970. No trace of these was found during the mission, nor was any radiation detected, according to James Delgado.
