Recent explorations of the wreck of the USS Yorktown at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean uncovered a downed aircraft, and, surprisingly, a 1940s Ford Woody Wagon! 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released new images from the final resting site of the United States Navy’s USS Yorktown. The famed aircraft carrier was heavily damaged at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, but was hastily repaired and returned to service in just forty-eight hours to take part in the Battle of Midway less than a month later. 

She was crippled in that battle and while salvage efforts were attempted, the flattop sunk on June 7.

Famed oceanographer Robert Ballard first discovered the resting site of the USS Yorktown in 1998, and earlier this month, new “non-disturbance dives” were conducted as part of a Papahānaumokuākea ROV (remotely operated vehicle) and mapping expedition on the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. 

According to NOAA, the “dives were the first to explore the ship’s hangar deck, revealing several unexpected discoveries.”

Charting the USS Yorktown’s Discovery

NOAA explained that the first dive on April 19 captured an image of the mural “A Chart of the Cruises of the USS Yorktown.” The hand-painted mural is in the #2 elevator shaft, located on the starboard side of the aircraft carrier. 

A Japanese bomb struck the shaft during the Battle of Midway, causing significant damage.

“This mural had only partially been visible in historic photographs of other subjects when Yorktown was afloat. The mural displays a world map that tracks the voyages of Yorktown. Measuring approximately forty-two feet by twelve feet, its motifs showcase the pride that Yorktown’s sailors had for their ship, the global scale of Yorktown’s activities, and the strategic role that the ship played in defending the United States,” NOAA explained.  

The mural was only partially visible in photographs of USS Yorktown before the Second World War.

USS Enterprise Dive Bombers Found Aboard the USS Yorktown

The recent dive also resulted in the “first-ever underwater discovery of aircraft on the Midway battlefield,” including multiple warplanes near the #3 elevator. 

One of the aircraft, a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, was found to be from USS Enterprise, which was also present at the Battle of Midway. The aircraft is believed to be “BuNo 4581,” assigned to Bombing Squadron Six, which was the air wing of the USS Enterprise. 

“Records show that in the chaos of battle, Yorktown recovered two Enterprise aircraft that had been badly damaged in an attack on the Imperial Japanese Navy carrier Kaga. These refugee aircraft were moved down to the hangar deck and later set afire by one of three enemy bombs that struck Yorktown. Research is ongoing to determine definitively if 6-B-5 was indeed one of the two Enterprise dive bombers lost with her sister ship,” NOAA added.

The Woody Wagon on the USS Yorktown!

The SBD-3 was far from the most unexpected discovery in the recent dive. NOAA discovered a “1940-41 Ford Super Deluxe Woody Wagon automobile.”

“With ‘SHIP SERVICE NAVY’ written on part of its front plate, this car is hypothesized to have been used for Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, Captain Elliott Buckmaster, or other ship crew while USS Yorktown was conducting business in foreign ports,” the NOAA report explained.

Experts can’t understand why the civilian automobile was present on the warship. As The Autopian explained, “civilian-type automobiles were generally not taken to sea during the Second World War, likely because of the lack of good roads in the ocean, and the fact that hangar space was a premium.” 

It also noted that the car is a civilian version instead of the military version, the C11.

NOAA also noted that the “car remained in the hangar deck following the truncated repair period at Pearl Harbor, while the ship’s officers knew [USS Yorktown] was heading to the Battle of Midway.” The other astonishing part is that the car wasn’t jettisoned with the anti-aircraft guns and other heavy equipment while trying to save the ship.

“Did this automobile carry any particular importance to the crew and officers who hoped it could be saved?” NOAA pondered.

“Such a car would be a likelier find on a country estate than on the deck of a carrier at sea, and would have been among the last cohort of mass-market vehicles that Ford produced before switching fully to wartime production,” Maritime-Executive added.

Why a Ford Super Deluxe Woody Wagon was on USS Yorktown during the Battle of Midway will remain a mystery of the deep!

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image Credit: Shutterstock/ Wayne Via.

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