SEATTLE, WASHINGTON—CBS News reports that the wreckage of USS Hornet, sunk on October 26, 1942, during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, has been found under more than 17,000 feet of water in the South Pacific Ocean. The vessel was detected near the Solomon Islands by the crew of Petrel, a research vessel established by Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft, who died last year. The expedition team began their search for Hornet with information from official deck logs and action reports from nine other U.S. warships that fought in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, and subsequently came upon the aircraft carrier on their first search of the area with a deep-sea sonar drone. The warship’s identity was confirmed by its hull classification symbol CV-8, spotted with video footage taken by a remotely operated vehicle. Hornet played two key roles during World War II, including launching the first airborne attack on Tokyo in April 1942, and causing heavy damage to Japanese aircraft carriers and aircraft during the pivotal Battle of Midway in June of the same year. To read about the discovery of the wreckage of another World War II ship, go to “Finding Indianapolis.”
