Mystery Surrounds Sunken Aircraft Carrier's Lone Car

A crew researching an iconic US Navy aircraft carrier that sunk during World War II just discovered a baffling artifact inside: a Ford convertible that would've been nearly new when the USS Yorktown was torpedoed in June 1942. It's a fascinating discovery in part because there's no record of any car on the USS Yorktown, known as the "Fighting Lady," per Jalopnik. The NOAA Ocean Exploration team made the discovery Saturday while exploring the wreck in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. "It's a car. That's a car. That is a full car," one researcher announced on a livestream, per the Miami Herald. "Now, that's just amazing," one said, per CBS News.

The vehicle resting upright near the ship's elevator 3 is believed to be a black 1940-'41 Ford Super Deluxe "Woody" convertible. "It has a license plate on the front that can be partially read saying 'SHIP SERVICE' at the top, but the lower part is illegible due to corrosion," says NOAA, per the Herald. The sight of the car with flared fenders, chrome trim, a rag top, and a spare tire on the back door surprised researchers, firstly, because there was no prior knowledge of its existence—the ship was only said to host about 2,200 personnel and 90 aircraft—and secondly, because the USS Yorktown had dumped aircraft and anti-aircraft guns to reduce its list after a torpedo strike. Why not dump the car, too?

According to NOAA Ocean Exploration, the car may have been taken on board the 809-foot-long aircraft carrier for repairs after the Battle of Coral Sea. Or it may have been Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher's flag car. However, officials "haven't been able to find a 'Woody' in service for staff officers, so that is potentially unique for this ship," says NOAA. Even if it was Fletcher's car, "hangar space on carriers was (and still is) extremely valuable. Having a car occupying space would be remarkable," one Reddit user observed, per the Herald. What is clear is that the car was built at Ford's Iron Mountain manufacturing plant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with wood sourced from the same place, per MLive. (More discoveries stories.)