WATERY GRAVE
Incredible first look at lost aircraft carrier’s rusting wreck 17,000ft under after it was sunk in pivotal WW2 battle
DEEP sea divers have captured incredible footage of a lost aircraft carrier that sunk during a pivotal WW2 battle 81 years ago.
The warship wreck was found lying 17,000 ft underwater where it was seen by explorers for the first time since 1942.
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It was sunk during the crucial Battle of Midway between Japanese and US warships, a turning point that Tokyo never recovered from.
The astounding footage shows the Akagi carrier with parts of its weaponry and body still intact.
Amazingly, the crest of the boat can still be made out in the never-before-seen images.
And the ship's anchor has even remained firmly in the sea bed of the Pacific Ocean.
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Daniel Wagner, chief scientist behind the exploration, said the footage has allowed them to better understand the battle itself, even up to the "final moments".
The WW2 Battle of Midway saw US torpedo planes fatally attack the Akagi, damaging the ship beyond repair.
It's captain, Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, was forced to flee to another Japanese ship.
The Japanese lost over 3,000 men that day, while the US lost roughly 360.
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The Akagi was also not the only impressive carrier the Japanese lost, as three others were sunk during the fateful battle.
The carriers were warships used as an airbase on sea, kitted out with a flight deck and all the facilities needed to carry, arm, deploy and recover aircraft.
While the impressive wreck was detected during a US Navy mapping survey in 2019, no one has been able to lay eyes on it until now.
Wagner, from the Ocean Exploration Trust, said the discovery has "rewritten history and our understanding of these special planes".
He also said the expedition had pushed the limits of what people believe to be possible in terms of "interdisciplinary collaboration".
"During over 43 hours at depth, we methodically circumnavigated these historic wrecks, bringing to light many features in great detail, including their armament, battle, and sinking-related damage.
"Many anti-aircraft guns were still pointing up, providing clues about the final moments on these iconic ships."
The incredible footage also showed an American aircraft sunk that day, USS Yorktown, which was downed by a Japanese submarine.
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The Battle of Midway came six months after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii which killed over 2,400 Americans.
It was a major victory for the US forces who had cracked Japan's secret naval code and led their warships into an ambush.
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