Why Was a 1940s Car Discovered in the Wreck of an American Naval Ship That Sank During World War II?

The mysterious automobile was found in a hangar on the USS “Yorktown,” which has been resting on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean since 1942

Researchers are scratching their heads after discovering an unexpected piece of cargo—a “surprise automobile”—among the wreckage of an American ship that sank during World War II.

They returned the next day for a closer look. Based on the flared fenders, split windshield, rag top, chrome details and spare tire, researchers have tentatively identified the vehicle as a black 1940-1941 Ford Super Deluxe “Woody.” On its front plate, according to a statement, they could make out the words “SHIP SERVICE ___ NAVY.”

The team found the car during an ongoing expedition called Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific. Sailing aboard the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer, researchers are mapping, gathering data and otherwise exploring to expand their knowledge of the vast Pacific Ocean.

The Yorktown, an 809-foot-long United States Navy aircraft carrier, has been resting on the ocean floor since June 1942, when Japanese forces torpedoed the vessel during the Battle of Midway.

Before Captain Elliott Buckmastergave the order to abandon ship, crew members jettisoned heavy cargo—including guns and aircraft—in an effort to keep it afloat, a NOAA spokesperson tells McClatchy News’ Mark Price. For some unknown reason, however, they decided to leave the vehicle.

For now, researchers can only guess as to why the ship’s salvage crew kept the car in place. It may have been used by one of the Yorktown’s high-ranking officers, such as Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher or Buckmaster, while they were conducting business in foreign ports, according to the NOAA statement. Or it might have been placed on the ship for repairs after sustaining damage in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, per McClatchy News.

This is not the first time researchers have explored the wreck of the Yorktown, which is located roughly three miles deep about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It was discovered in 1998 by Robert Ballard, the National Geographic Society and the U.S. Navy. Since then, researchers have conducted “several investigations” of the wreck, according to NOAA.

But the vessel was still holding on to a few secrets. In addition to the surprise car, researchers located a hand-painted mural inside one of the vessel’s elevator shafts. Scientists captured the first-ever underwater photos of the 42-by-12-foot artwork. Called A Chart of the Cruises of the USS Yorktown, the mural consists of a world map showing all the places the Yorktown had traveled.

Until now, the artwork had only been partially visible in historic photographs taken before the Yorktown sank.

“Its motifs showcase the pride that Yorktown’s sailors had for their ship, the global scale of Yorktown’s activities and the strategic role that the ship played in defending the United States,” according to NOAA.

Source: smithsonianmag.com. Author. Sarah Kuta.         Photos: NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue