MIDWAY DISCOVERY - MCA

MIDWAY

DISCOVERY

Underwater Researchers

Locate World War II

Japanese Aircraft Carriers

COURTESY OF U.S. NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND

By Nancy S. Lichtman

The Japanese warship Kaga, shown here at sea after her 1934-1936 modernization,

was sunk during the Battle of Midway. Kaga was one of the Japanese carriers that

transported the aircraft for the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

ocated more than 17,000 feet below

the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the

undersea wreckage of two Japanese

aircraft carriers that were sunk during the

U.S. victory at Midway in June 1942 have

been located by a team of researchers.

Akagi and Kaga, both of which were part

of the six-carrier force that attacked the

U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,

are the first sunken Japanese carriers to

be discovered, according to Vulcan, Inc.,

the company that funded the undersea

research project.

In an ongoing effort to preserve the

history of World War II Naval battles,

the crew of the Research Vessel (R/V)

Petrel, has been exploring the waters of

the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National

Monument, a marine conservation area

L

16

LEATHERNECK / JANUARY 2020

in the Pacific Ocean, in search of the

warships sunk during the June 1942 battle,

which was a critical victory for the U.S.

¡°More than 75 years after the battle,

the generation that fought in the pivotal

showdown has all but faded away. Yet our

fascination continues in part because of

the recent discovery of long-lost warships

on the sea bottom,¡± said historian Bruce

D. Gamble, author of ¡°Invasion Rabaul¡±

and several other books about the air

war in the Pacific. ¡°It will be exciting to

learn the secrets revealed by the continued

exploration of Akagi and Kaga in the years

to come,¡± Gamble added.

Marine pilots played a vital role in the

Battle of Midway, which took place six

months after the Pearl Harbor attack.

¡°Led by Marine Corps dive-bombers,

The gun mount

(above) and the

starboard gun (right)

of Kaga, recently

was located more

than 17,000 feet

below the surface

in the waters of the

Papahanaumokuakea

Marine National

Monument, a marine

conservation area

in the Pacific Ocean

between the Hawaiian

Islands and the

Midway Atoll.

leatherneck

USMC

Maj Lofton Henderson, flying the

Dauntless dive-bomber, was reported missing in action following

an aerial engagement with enemy

fighters. Henderson, the commanding officer of VMSB-241, was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross

for leading his squadron in an attack on the advancing Japanese at

Midway.

Marine pilots played a

vital role in the Battle

of Midway, which took

place six months after

COURTESY OF VULCAN

USMC

COURTESY OF VULCAN

the Pearl Harbor attack.

leatherneck

Taking command of VMSB-241 after

Maj Henderson was shot down, Capt

Richard E. Fleming was awarded the

Medal of Honor for his actions in the

skies over Midway on June 4-5, 1942.

JANUARY 2020 / LEATHERNECK

17

USAF PHOTO

COURTESY OF VULCAN

COURTESY OF VULCAN

In the image above, taken during the battle on June 4,

1942, the carrier Akagi and one of the enemy destroyers

can be seen maneuvering to avoid the high-level

bombing by U.S. Army Air Forces B-17 crews. Akagi, sunk

during the Battle of Midway, was recently located (left)

by a team of underwater researchers using the latest

sonar technology and underwater camera equipment.

Petrel is a 250-foot research and exploration vessel. The ship¡¯s advanced underwater equipment, including two subsea vehicles,

allows for exploration 6,000 meters deep.

18

LEATHERNECK / JANUARY 2020

leatherneck

COURTESY OF U.S. NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND

The Japanese aircraft

carriers Akagi and Kaga

both were part of the

six-carrier force that

attacked the U.S. ?eet

at Pearl Harbor on

Dec. 7, 1941.

Above right: The Japanese carrier Akagi at sea during the summer of 1941 with three

Mitsubishi A6M Zero ?ghters located at the forward end of the ?ight deck.

Right: Capt Floyd B. Parks was the CO of Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 221 during

the Battle of Midway and was killed in action defending the U.S. base on the atoll

from enemy air attacks. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

USN

USMC

Below: All but one of the pilots of VMF-221 who survived the Battle of Midway are

standing in front of a VMJ-252 R4D-1 at Ewa Mooring Mast Field, Oahu, on June 22,

1942. Future ace Marion Carl is at the far left.

leatherneck

JANUARY 2020 / LEATHERNECK

19

COURTESY OF VULCAN

The researchers aboard Petrel use sonar

technology, underwater cameras and an

extensive suite of computers and monitors to amplify and analyze visual data

very quickly.

¡°Every shipwreck we find

reminds us all of the

ultimate sacrifice made

by those who served

their countries.¡±

¡ªRobert Kraft

USN

This photo of the pilots of VMSB241 on Midway was taken sometime

between April 17, when Maj

Henderson took command, and

May 1942. The ¡°x¡± markings on the

image indicate which pilots were

killed at Midway.

U.S. forces gave the [enemy] everything

they had,¡± declared the July 1942 issue

of Leatherneck about the battle. That

victory came at a price. A number of

Marine Corps pilots did not survive the

battle, including the commanding officer

of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron

(VMSB) 241, Major Lofton Henderson,

who was posthumously awarded the Navy

Cross for continuing his mission to lead

an airstrike against the Japanese carriers

even after his plane had been hit during an

aerial engagement with an enemy fighter.

¡°At Midway, inferior training and

equipment led to the highest one-day

losses of the war for Marine aviation¡ª

hard lessons which would quickly be

digested and learned from in the form

of better tactical training and the arrival

of better aircraft,¡± according to Ben

Kristy, collections chief for the National

Museum of the Marine Corps and former

aviation curator for the museum. ¡°But

the individual acts of heroism displayed

by the men of VMF-211 and VMSB-241

helped set the stage for the destruction of

the Japanese carriers at the hands of the

U.S. Navy and kept the island of Midway

in the hands of the United States Marine

Corps,¡± said Kristy.

Frank Thompson, a researcher from the

Naval History and Heritage Command,

was embarked on Petrel for the expedition

to find the search for the battle¡¯s sunken

ships. ¡°Unlike land battles, war at sea

leaves no traces on the surface,¡± he

said. ¡°Efforts made by the Vulcan team

aboard Petrel in finding the wrecks of

Kaga and Akagi will give historians a

new perspective of one of World War II¡¯s

pivotal battles.¡±

Petrel¡¯s mission was funded by philan?

thropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul

Allen. Robert Kraft, Vulcan¡¯s director of

subsea operations, said that he and his

team were honored to locate the carriers.

¡°Every shipwreck we find reminds us all

of the ultimate sacrifice made by those

who served their countries,¡± said Kraft.

In addition to Akagi and Kaga, the crew

of R/V Petrel has located numerous other

sunken warships over the past few years,

including USS Hornet (CV-8), USS Wasp

(CV-7) and USS Indianapolis (CA-35).

20

LEATHERNECK / JANUARY 2020

leatherneck

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download