#USS Astoria (CA-34)

[lonestarbattleship]

USS ASTORIA (CA-34) fitting out at pier 6, Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington.

Photographed on December 19, 1933.

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command: NH 57403

[usaac-official]

An SOC aboard USS Portland (CA-34) during a mission to reinforce Midway, 5 December 1941. In the background are USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and USS Astoria (CA-33)

[sciencespies]

Researchers find second warship from WWII Battle of Midway

https://sciencespies.com/biology/researchers-find-second-warship-from-wwii-battle-of-midway/

Researchers find second warship from WWII Battle of Midway

The sun rises over Vulcan Inc.’s research vessel Petrel nearly 200 miles off Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The crew of the Petrel found the sunken remains of the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, which sank in the historic Battle of Midway, and are searching the vast area for other sunken warships in the coming days. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

A crew of deep-sea explorers and historians looking for lost World War II warships have found a second Japanese aircraft carrier that went down in the historic Battle of Midway.

Vulcan Inc. director of undersea operations Rob Kraft said a review of sonar data captured Sunday shows what could be either the Japanese carrier Akagi or the Soryu resting in nearly 18,000 feet (5,490 meters) of water in the Pacific Ocean more than 1,300 miles (2,090 kilometers) northwest of Pearl Harbor.

The researchers used an autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, equipped with sonar to find the ship. The vehicle had been out overnight collecting data, and the image of a warship appeared in the first set of readings Sunday morning.

To confirm exactly which ship they’ve found the crew will deploy the AUV for another eight-hour mission where it will capture high-resolution sonar images of the site. The initial readings were captures using lower resolution sonar. The high resolution scans will allow the crew to measure the ship and confirm its identity.

The find comes on the heels of the discovery of another Japanese carrier, the Kaga, last week.

The crew of the research vessel Petrel is hoping to find and survey all lost ships from the 1942 Battle of Midway, which historians consider a pivotal fight for the U.S. in the Pacific during WWII.

In this June 4, 1942 file photo provided by the U.S. Navy the USS Astoria (CA-34) steams by USS Yorktown (CV-5), shortly after the carrier had been hit by three Japanese bombs in the battle of Midway. Researchers scouring the world’s oceans for sunken World War II ships are honing in on debris fields deep in the Pacific. A research vessel called the Petrel is launching underwater robots about halfway between the U.S. and Japan in search of warships from the Battle of Midway. (William G. Roy/U.S. Navy via AP, File)

This June 1942 file photo shows an aerial photo of a Japanese carrier maneuvering in a complete circle in an effort to escape in the Midway Islands, Hawaii. After the battle, the Army reported repeated bomb hits on the enemy carriers Kaga and Akagi, while the Navy, in listing results, said four enemy carriers were definitely sunk. A research vessel called the Petrel is launching underwater robots about halfway between the U.S. and Japan in search of warships from the Battle of Midway. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, File)

In this Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, photo, Vulcan Inc. director of subsea operations of the Petrel, Rob Kraft looks at images of the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, off Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Deep-sea explorers scouring the world’s oceans for sunken World War II ships are honing in on a debris field deep in the Pacific. The research vessel called the Petrel is launching underwater robots about halfway between the U.S. and Japan in search of warships from the Battle of Midway. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

The battle was fought between American and Japanese aircraft carriers and warplanes about 200 miles (320 kilometers) off Midway Atoll, a former military installation that the Japanese hoped to capture in a surprise attack.

The U.S., however, intercepted Japanese communications about the strike and were waiting when they arrived. More than 2,000 Japanese and 300 Americans died.

The expedition is an effort started by the late Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft. For years, the crew of the 250-foot (76-meter) Petrel has worked with the U.S. Navy and other officials around the world to locate and document sunken ships. It has found more than 30 vessels so far.

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Deep-sea explorers find Japanese ship that sank during WWII

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Citation: Researchers find second warship from WWII Battle of Midway (2019, October 20) retrieved 20 October 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-10-warship-wwii-midway.html

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#Biology

[lex-for-lexington]

“USS Astoria (CA-34). Crew of 5/25 gun # 3 (2nd gun from forward, starboard side) in action during gunnery practice, circa spring 1942. Note anti-flash head-dress and communications gear worn by the man operating the fuze setter; bearing markings on the gun's splinter shield; and old-style battle helmets.”

(NHHC: 80-G-21946)

[zerokiller1628]

American heavy cruisers USS Astoria (CA-34) and USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at sea as part of Task Force 12, sometime from December 8th to 13th, 1941. The group sailed along with cruisers USS Chicago (CA-29), USS Portland (CA-33), and carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) to deliver fighters to Wake Island, leaving only two days before Pearl Harbor was attacked and narrowly avoiding being caught at anchor. The fighters delivered to Wake would allow its defenders to cause a great deal of damage to the Japanese when the island was invaded soon after, though it would eventually fall nonetheless. This particular photograph was taken from the USS Portland.

[militariacollectibles]

Pre WWII US Navy USS Astoria (CA-34) Tally Donald Duck Flat Hat

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[lonestarbattleship]

"The Christening and 'Launching' of USS ASTORIA (CA-34). All ships built at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard were constructed in drydock, not on a shipway as in other shipyards. The 'Launching' of a ship was just the flooding of the drydock."

Photographed on December 16, 1933.

Information and photo from Navsource: link

[lonestarbattleship]

USS ASTORIA (CA-34) under construction in drydock at Puget Sound Navy Yard. Unlike other shipyards, all ships built at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard were constructed in drydock, and not on a shipway. This afford workers to install the guns and most of the superstructure on Astoria before she was launched on December 16.

Photographed sometime between November and December 1933

Densho Digital Respository: ddr-njpa-13-401

[lonestarbattleship]

USS LEXINGTON (CV-2) and USS SARATOGA (CV-3) at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington. Also present is an old collier at left. USS ASTORIA (CA-34) is under construction in drydock, upper right.

Date: June 8, 1932

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command: NH 93556

[lonestarbattleship]

USS Mississippi (BB-41), USS Astoria (CA-34) and USS Vulcan (AR-5) anchored in Hvalfjörður, Iceland, making preparations for Norwegian Operations.

Photographed from HMS Bedouin in October 1941.

IWM: A 5954, A 5943, A 5944, A 5963, A 5964

[usaac-official]

An SBD Dauntless of VB-3 ditches near USS Astoria (CA-34) during the Battle of Midway, 4 June 1942

[lex-for-lexington]

“USS Astoria (CA-34) firing her after eight-inch guns, during battle practice in Hawaiian waters, circa 8 July 1942.”

(NHHC: NH 97683)

[lex-for-lexington]

“USS Astoria (CA-34) entering Honolulu harbor during her shakedown cruise, 9 July 1934. Photographed by Tai Sing Loo.”

(NHHC: NH 91726)

[zerokiller1628]

American heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-39) sinks and burns fiercely from hits received at the hands of Japanese admiral Gunichi Mikawa’s cruisers during the Battle of Savo Island, August 9th, 1942. Mikawa’s force had managed to approach almost unnoticed during the days prior, taking the American cruiser force defending Lunga Point completely by surprise. In the early hours of the 9th, Mikawa’s cruisers opened fire on the Allied southern force, quickly disabling the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra and forcing the cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29) to retreat from torpedo damage. They then proceeded north, where the Quincy, Vincennes (CA-44), and Astoria (CA-34) were struggling to comprehend what was happening. Before they could come to the full realization, the Japanese opened fire on them as well. The U.S. cruisers were quickly set ablaze and disabled by gunfire and torpedoes, with only Astoria and Quincy being able to cause any (albeit light) damage to the Japanese in return. Within minutes all return fire had ceased completely, leaving the northern force burning and sinking in the dark. Though Mikawa was still fully able to continue fighting, he decided not to continue on towards the transports at Lunga Point. He knew to fear allied carrier air power, which was sure to come at first light. At 2:20 he turned his ships around, unaware of the fact that admiral Fletcher had taken his carriers away from Guadalcanal on the 8th. This action brought the Battle of Savo Island to a close, ending the worst disaster in the history of the U.S. Navy.

[lex-for-lexington]

USS Astoria (CA-34) off Guadalcanal, 8 August 1942.

(Source)

[zerokiller1628]

Official U.S. Navy diagram of the battle damage received by the heavy cruiser USS Astoria (CA-34) during the Battle of Savo Island, fought on August 9th, 1942. This diagram makes apparent the accuracy of the Japanese during the battle, and how devastating the damage dealt to the American warships was. Astoria managed to say afloat longer than her sisters, but ultimately sank later that morning.