World War II Database

USS Independence, veteran of actions in the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands, Philippine Islands, South China Sea, among other locations, was used in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Islands, badly damaged in the process. Her radioactive hull became a subject of radiological research, upon the completion of which she was scuttled in Jan 1951. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the United States government, had located her wreck under about 2,600 feet (about 800 meters) of water in the northern region of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary about 30 miles (about 50 kilometers) west of Half Moon Bay, California, United States. In Mar 2015, the wreck was identified and was determined to be upright with a slight tilt toward the starboard side. The equipment used was the Coda Octopus Echoscope 3D sonar, integrated on the 18.5-foot (5.6-meter) Boeing Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Echo Ranger.

For more information:
NOAA: NOAA, partners, survey historic WWII-era aircraft carrier
LiveScience: WWII Ship Used for Atomic Bomb Tests Found 'Amazingly Intact'
WW2DB: USS Independence

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