77 Years Later World War II Aircraft Carrier Found Deep in the Coral Sea

77 years after World War II, an aircraft carrier, the USS Wasp has been found deep in the Coral Sea. The aircraft carrier had been in service during the Second World War from Iceland to Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. It was found by Petrel, a research vehicle who expeditions have been founded by the late Paul Allen, who was Microsoft's co-founder.

The Wasp was found through a sonar-equipped autonomous underwater vehicle and a camera-equipped remotely operated vehicle. According to reports, the aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1940. It began service on the Atlantic Front and provided defensive fighter cover for the US Army planes landing in Iceland. It also had a supporting role in two US and British campaigns, the Operation Calendar and Operation Bowery, which were aimed at defending the island bastion of Malta against the German and Italian air raids. When the vessel completed its mission, the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill messaged his thanks and wrote 'Who said a Wasp couldn't sting twice?' Its final mission was to serve as an escort for the 7^th Marine Regiment which was heading to Guadalcanal with reinforcements for the pivotal battle there in 1942. But then on September 15, 1942, the Wasp was hit by four torpedoes from a Japanese submarine. Engulfed in flames, it sank but Captain Forrest P. Sherman was able to get all his men off. Reports say that 45 aircraft went down with the ship and this is clearly shown in Petrel's video of the shipwreck.

The Petrel has been documenting the resting places of historic shipwrecks and engaged in scientific studies in the Pacific Ocean and surrounding seas.