NOAA camera dives down to sunken U.S. World War II ship — and finds a car inside

A crew researching an iconic U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that was sunk in the Pacific Ocean during World War II made a remarkable discovery over the weekend.   

A vehicle was found in the hangar of the USS Yorktown, which was famously torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Midway in June 1942.

The discovery was made Saturday when the NOAA Ocean Exploration sent a remotely operated camera inside the shipwreck as part of a weeks-long exploration of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, about 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu.

“It’s a car. That’s a car,” one researcher was heard saying in a livestream, according to the Miami Herald. “That is a full car.”

The USS Yorktown – famously known as the “Fighting Lady” – was an 806-foot-long aircraft carrier that could accommodate 2,000 sailors. It was commissioned in 1937 and played a huge role in the United States’ Pacific campaign during World War II before it sank in June 1942.

The Yorktown was first located 25 years ago during a joint U.S. Navy and National Geographic Society expedition led by Robert Ballard, the founder of Ocean Exploration Trust.

The shipwreck has been well-documented since its discovery, but it seems like there is still more to find aboard the famous carrier.

At first glance, the newly found vehicle appears to be a military jeep. It is resting upright and with the researchers noting its flared fenders, chrome trim, rag top and a spare tire on the back door.

“Wow, isn’t that something?” a researcher can be heard on a livestream on Sunday.

“Now, that’s just amazing,” another one said.

NOAA Ocean Exploration told the Miami Herald that they suspect the vehicle is a 1940-41 Ford Super Deluxe “Woody” in black.

“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 officials added.

There are several theories that could explain why a military jeep was aboard the Yorktown during its final days at sea. One is that it might have been Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher’s flag car as the Yorktown served as his flagship during World War II. Another is that it could have been brought aboard for repairs after getting damaged at the Battle of Coral Sea, officials told the Herald.

CBS News has reached out to NOAA for additional comment.

More than 3,400 people were killed in the Battle of Midway, and the vast majority of casualties were Japanese service members, according to the National WWII Museum. About 362 U.S. troops were among the dead. Japan lost four aircraft carriers, one cruiser, and hundreds of aircraft, while the U.S. lost one carrier, one destroyer and 144 aircraft during the battle.

contributed to this report.