On the morning of April 19, a remotely operated vehicle descended through roughly 5,000 meters of cold, dark water. It was headed to the wreck of the USS Yorktown. As it glided through the ghostly remains of the World War II aircraft carrier, it saw something completely unexpected: a full-sized car, remarkably intact after more than 80 years on the seafloor.
The discovery has left researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stunned. Now, they’re turning to the public for help in identifying the mysterious vehicle—and perhaps explaining its unlikely journey to the bottom of the Pacific.
A Ship Full of Secrets
The USS Yorktown was a giant of its time. At 247 meters (809 feet) long, it could carry up to 90 planes and staff more than 2,000 sailors. It played pivotal roles in the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, before being fatally torpedoed by Japanese forces in June 1942. First rediscovered in 1998 by Robert Ballard—the explorer famous for finding the Titanic—the Yorktown rests in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (good luck reading this out loud), about 1,600 kilometers northwest of Honolulu.
But even after decades of exploration, the ship has some secrets.
During the NOAA team’s ongoing Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific expedition aboard the Okeanos Explorer, researchers revisited the wreck. They intended to map and document the site with more detail than ever before. They found the civilian car resting upright near elevator three on the Yorktown’s hangar deck.
Closer examination revealed telltale features—a split windshield, flared fenders, a rag top, chrome trim, and a spare tire mounted on the back. Faint writing on the front plate reads “SHIP SERVICE ___ NAVY.”
Tentatively, researchers have identified the vehicle as a 1940–1941 Ford Super Deluxe “Woody.” In its day, the Ford Woody—with its wooden panels and polished chrome—was a luxury civilian car. But it was a car you’d expect to see on leafy suburban roads, not inside a wartime aircraft carrier.
Theories Behind the Car’s Presence
So why is the car there?
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Researchers have two main theories. One possibility is that the car belonged to Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher, who used the Yorktown as his flagship during World War II. A “flag car” would have been a useful asset for a senior officer when docking at foreign ports.
Another theory suggests the car might have been damaged during the earlier Battle of the Coral Sea and brought aboard for repairs. With Yorktown limping toward Pearl Harbor for emergency patchwork after the Coral Sea Battle, salvaging important assets—especially when supply chains were stretched thin—might have made sense.
Still, none of the existing historical records mention a car aboard during the Yorktown’s final voyage. “Yorktown’s salvage crew worked tirelessly to jettison anti-aircraft guns and aircraft to reduce its list [after the torpedo strike], but did they leave the car, something they could roll off the side?” NOAA Ocean Exploration marine archeologist Phil Hartmeyer told the Miami Herald
Until more evidence surfaces, the team is encouraging automobile experts and history buffs alike to join the investigation. “Here’s an open request to all your automobile vehicle folks out there,” one NOAA expedition operator said during the live feed. “Please post on this. It really helps.”
Sidequests
Beyond the car, the April dive also revealed other stunning finds. The team captured the first-ever underwater photographs of a hand-painted mural inside one of the Yorktown’s elevator shafts. Spanning 13×4 meters (42×12 feet), A Chart of the Cruises of the USS Yorktown depicts a world map and chronicles the ship’s journeys across the globe.
Researchers also found at least three intact planes on board, including a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber—with a bomb still attached. These aircraft played a decisive role at Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers and turning the tide of the war in the Pacific.
And in a lighter moment, the underwater cameras even captured a vibrant red jellyfish drifting through the wreckage—a creature so unusual that scientists suspect it might be a previously unknown species.
As NOAA researchers continue to probe the wreck, they hope the public’s curiosity will help crack the case of the car at the bottom of the Pacific.