The recent exploration probing the interior of the U.S. carrier sunk at Midway has yielded groundbreaking discoveries
and a wealth of new details.
For the first time since the loss of the USS Yorktown (CV-5) at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, a remote, robotic expedition has ventured inside the wreck—discovering new reminders of individual and collective valor and answering questions about the ship’s loss and the battle itself.
This April 2025 deep-ocean exploration mission conducted a detailed external documentation of the wreck with high-resolution cameras and sonar mounted on the remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) Deep Discoverer and Seirios.
www.usni.org
Singled out for attack by aircraft from the Japanese carrier Hiry−u, the USS Yorktown suffers crippling blows during the Battle of Midway.
An hour after being bombed, the Yorktown is dead in the water with fires still burning in her uptakes. Japanese torpedoes later would send her to the bottom. Naval History and Heritage Command
and a wealth of new details.
For the first time since the loss of the USS Yorktown (CV-5) at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, a remote, robotic expedition has ventured inside the wreck—discovering new reminders of individual and collective valor and answering questions about the ship’s loss and the battle itself.
This April 2025 deep-ocean exploration mission conducted a detailed external documentation of the wreck with high-resolution cameras and sonar mounted on the remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) Deep Discoverer and Seirios.

Exploring the Wreck of the Yorktown
For the first time since the loss of the USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, a remote, robotic expedition has ventured inside the wreck.
Singled out for attack by aircraft from the Japanese carrier Hiry−u, the USS Yorktown suffers crippling blows during the Battle of Midway.
An hour after being bombed, the Yorktown is dead in the water with fires still burning in her uptakes. Japanese torpedoes later would send her to the bottom. Naval History and Heritage Command