Wreckage of USS Hornet found 77 years after she went down

[Pingo]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/fabled-wwii-aircraft-carrier-discovered-77-years-after-it-was-sunk/ar-BBTug8u

 

“The ship was found more than 17,000 feet below the surface, on the floor of the South Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands. The USS Hornet is best known for launching the important Doolittle Raid in April of 1942 and its role in winning the Battle of Midway. 

 

Richard Nowatzki, 95 now, was an 18-year-old gunner on Hornet when enemy planes scored several hits, reports CBS News' Mark Phillips.”

 

[paintybeard]

Respect to the veteran.

The quality of the pictures they are showing are stunning.

[Unruly]

To go along with this, the wreck of the Japanese battleship Hiei was found off the coast of Guadalcanal just last week. Both ships were lost in the same campaign, the Solomon Islands Campaign, about 3 weeks apart. Hornet on October 26th, Hiei on November 14th. Hornet was the last US fleet carrier to be sunk, while Hiei was the first Japanese battleship to be sunk. Both were scuttled and not outright sunk in combat. It can be argued that Hornet was lost in combat, since the Japanese technically sank her, but since the ship was fully abandoned and the only reason she was still floating was because of failed torpedo detonations I think it's unfair to claim she was a combat kill.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Unruly

[TGP]

 

 

This alternate link is for anyone else that experiences browser lockup at MSN:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a26307644/aircraft-carrier-uss-hornet-world-war-ii-shipwreck/

 

It mentions (but no link )there is a source website. 

 

Edit: which might be this:

https://www.paulallen.com/the-hunt-for-the-uss-hornet/#the-hunt-for-the-uss-hornet

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by TGP

[paintybeard]

28 minutes ago, Unruly said:

To go along with this, the wreck of the Japanese battleship Hiei was found off the coast of Guadalcanal just last week. Both ships were lost in the same campaign, the Solomon Islands Campaign, about 3 weeks apart. Hornet on October 26th, Hiei on November 14th. Hornet was the last US fleet carrier to be sunk, while Hiei was the first Japanese battleship to be sunk. Both were scuttled and not outright sunk in combat. It can be argued that Hornet was lost in combat, since the Japanese technically sank her, but since the ship was fully abandoned and the only reason she was still floating was because of failed torpedo detonations I think it's unfair to claim she was a combat kill.

 

Surely both actions were part of the extended Guadalcanal campaign? Hornet is lost during the Battle of Santa Cruz. (Finally torpedoed by the Japanese destroyers Akigumo and Makigumo. So I really think this is a legitimate battle loss.) And Hiei is sunk at the Second Battle of Guadalcanal. The land battle for Guadalcanal lasts from the landing of 1st. Marine Division on 7th. August 1942 and ends when the Japanese finally evacuate the island on 7th. February 1943. 

[Loim]

I was talking to The Dad and my BIL about this yesterday. So much History. 

[Unruly]

32 minutes ago, paintybeard said:

 

Surely both actions were part of the extended Guadalcanal campaign? Hornet is lost during the Battle of Santa Cruz. (Finally torpedoed by the Japanese destroyers Akigumo and Makigumo. So I really think this is a legitimate battle loss.) And Hiei is sunk at the Second Battle of Guadalcanal. The land battle for Guadalcanal lasts from the landing of 1st. Marine Division on 7th. August 1942 and ends when the Japanese finally evacuate the island on 7th. February 1943. 

 

Guadalcanal was part of the Solomon Islands Campaign, so yes. They were just lost in different engagements.

 

As for the Hornet being sunk by Akigumo and Makigumo, that's a stretch. She was sunk by Japanese torpedo and dive bombers, who bombed, torpedoed, and rammed her until she was unsafe to tow. At which point all crew were evacuated and the Americans put an additional 9 torpedoes and a couple hundred shells into her in an attempt to scuttle before the Japanese fleet got there. By the time Akigumo and Makigumo got there, she would have been a ghost ship with a huge list and she would have probably gone down on her own as she slowly flooded. The only reason she wasn't already under water was because most of the American torpedoes failed to explode.

[TGP]

Early War American torpedos had a detonator problem. Frustrated submarine skippers as well. 

[Colonel Kane]

No matter who 'sunk' her, she was lost, along with her brave souls, who were doing something, that unfortunately needed done. May her and her souls rest at ease.

[TheAuldGrump]

1 hour ago, TGP said:

Early War American torpedos had a detonator problem. Frustrated submarine skippers as well. 

Detonator problems, guidance problems, launch problems, propulsion problems - the Mark I torpedoes were a freakin' mess.

 

It was not unknown for the torpedo to come back full circle.

 

The Auld Grump - my dad served in the submarine fleet in WWII and the Korean War.

Edited February 13, 2019 by TheAuldGrump

[Loim]

You have all made my day better. I love me some History. 

 

In spite of the Americans shelling the bejeesus out of her aren't the final Type 93s actually credited with being what sunk her? Or am I misremembering? 

[Unruly]

1 hour ago, Loim said:

You have all made my day better. I love me some History. 

 

In spite of the Americans shelling the bejeesus out of her aren't the final Type 93s actually credited with being what sunk her? Or am I misremembering? 

 

No, you're remembering correctly. I just disagree with the record for the reasons I stated.

[Green Eyed Monster]

6 hours ago, Unruly said:

 

No, you're remembering correctly. I just disagree with the record for the reasons I stated.

Think of it as the Mercy Shots that just allowed that Great Lady to slide under a little quicker.

GEM

[Corsair]

One of the frightening statistics of the Guadalcanal Campaign is that 75% of Japanese deaths were due to starvation and island diseases.