65 Years Later, A First Look At Sunken American WWII Ship

The world is such a massive and amazing place that you can travel anywhere and find something that's really, really cool. Interestingly, oceans take up a vast amount of the Earth and are one of the things that we have a hard time fully grasping. That's probably because we're land animals and don't fare very well underwater, but with recent advancements in all kinds of technology, ocean exploration is only becoming easier and easier. Scientists are now using remotely-operated vehicles to explore wreckages and all other sorts of things. Their ability to do so allows them to go places that they normally couldn't safely go, which is exactly how they laid eyes on the USS Independence for the first time in 65 years.

While it was still afloat, the USS Independence served as an aircraft carrier during World War II.

Since the uses were limited following the war, the ship was nuked. In 1951, they blew it up 30 miles west of San Francisco and it hasn't been seen since then.

Recently, scientists aboard the EV Nautilus sent down a remotely operated robot to explore the wreckage of the Independence.

They found that the ship had been turned into an artificial ecosystem and was covered in sponges and other marine life, but that was just scratching the surface!

Upon further exploration, they managed to find the remains of a Hellcat (fighter plane) that was on the ship when it was leveled.

And the anti-air turrets mounted to the sides of the ship also remained, though they were covered in sponges and moss.

The finding and documentation of the shipwreck is simply astounding. It's amazing how far technology has come in such a short amount of time.