For the first time in eight decades, explorers have pictured a Japanese aircraft carrier sunk during World War II‘s Battle of Midway. 

Japan‘s aircraft carrier Akagi was pictured for the first time since it disappeared under the water in 1942 during the battle that helped during the Pacific campaign in America’s favor.  

‘This expedition is not only rewriting history and our understanding of these special places, but also pushing the limits of what we thought was possible in terms of interdisciplinary collaboration,’ said Daniel Wagner, chief scientist for Ocean Exploration Trust. 

The trust led the exploration efforts from September 8 to September 12 to photograph the Akagi along with other vessels sunken during the pivotal battle that saw 3,000 Japanese fighters perish. 

The group also surveyed in detail the USS Yorktown, which was the lone US carrier sunk during Midway and not found until 25 years ago. 

The Battle of Midway began on June 4, 1942, and lasted until the 7th. The naval campaign has gone down in US lore for its ability to flip the momentum in America’s favor. 

Four Japanese aircraft carriers -including the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu – were sunk along with a heavy cruiser. The Americans lost the carrier Yorktown and the destroyer Hammmann. 

The loss of the four carriers by Japan proved difficult to overcome. The Imperial Empire also lost well-trained pilots in the battle. Meanwhile, America’s industrial capabilities grew allowing it to replace the losses. 

In total, Japan lost more than 3,000 men during the fight. The US lost only 362,  

The sunken ships were lost to the sea for years, until deep-sea explorers helped find some of the ships. 

The Akagi was found in 2019, but this month’s exploration marked the first complete survey of the vessel. 

Japanese aircraft carriers – the Soryu and Hiryu – and the cruiser Mikuma are still unaccounted for.

The USS Yorktown was discovered three miles below the surface in May 1998 The USS Yorktown was discovered 25 years ago in May 1998 during a joint US Navy and National Geographic Society expedition led by Robert Ballard, the founder of Ocean Exploration Trust, in conjunction with the Navy.

For the most recent exploration, remote-controlled vehicles were utilized to capture images of the shipwrecks with  the mission involving more than 100 experts from various countries who ‘helped guide the mission and providing valuable real-time interpretations throughout the surveys.’ 

The expedition team also conducted ‘non-invasive visual surveys’ of the wrecks during three deployments at depths exceeding 16,700 feet – the deepest remotely operated vehicle dive ever completed by the Exploration Vessel Nautilus.

‘On this occasion, we meet on those same Pacific waters in which Japan and the U.S. once met in battle, but this time as allies and fellow researchers,’ said Kosei Nomura, Minister, Head of Economic Section, Embassy of Japan. 

‘We are reminded that today’s peace and tomorrow’s discoveries are built on the sacrifices of war, and so in my view, it is meaningful that Japan and the U.S. are now deepening their cooperation at Midway, utilizing such cutting-edge technology.’

‘During over 43 hours at depth, we methodically circumnavigated these historic wrecks, bringing to light many features in great detail, including their armament, battle, and sinking-related damage,’ said Daniel Wagner, the chief scientist for the Ocean Exploration Trust. 

The wrecks were meticulously examined and included looking for damage related to battles they fought and their subsequent and sinking. 

‘Many anti-aircraft guns were still pointing up, providing clues about the final moments on these iconic ships,’ Wagner explained.

Each dive ended with poignant ceremonies paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the Battle of Midway. 

Frank Thompson, a historian with the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C., who is onboard the Petrel said: ‘We read about the battles, we know what happened. But when you see these wrecks on the bottom of the ocean and everything, you kind of get a feel for what the real price is for war.

‘You see the damage these things took, and it’s humbling to watch some of the video of these vessels because they’re war graves.’ 

Retired Navy Capt. Jack Crawford, who died in April 2022 at the age of 103, was among the Yorktown’s 2,270 survivors.

Japanese dive bombers left the Yorktown badly damaged, with black smoke gushing from its stacks, but the vessel was still upright. Then the torpedoes hit, Crawford recounted in an interview about the battle.

‘Bam! Bam! We get two torpedoes, and I know we’re in trouble. As soon as the deck edge began to go under, I knew . she wasn’t going to last,’ said Crawford, whose later military career was with the naval nuclear propulsion program.

The Yorktown sank slowly, and a destroyer was able to pick up Crawford and many others.

‘An important part of our mission here at the Naval History and Heritage Command is to locate, interpret, and protect lost U.S. Navy ships and aircraft, particularly those that represent the last resting place of American sailors,’ said Samuel Cox, Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, and one of the explorers to photograph the Yorktown during the recent mission.

The entire exploration of the Midway ships was streamed live in real-time, giving the public its first chance to see the vessels along with researchers. 

The surveys were non-invasive at about 16,600 feet below the surface. 

It is illegal to otherwise disturb the underwater US military gravesites, and their exact coordinates are kept secret. The battle was found about 1,000 miles from Hawaii at about the halfway point between Japan and the US. 

The exploration effort involved more than 100 experts from US, Japan and across the globe.

The goal of the exploration was to help document and assess the important site for both America and Japan. 

During the battle, American forces broke Japan’s naval code and prepare for a counter attack. That allowed the US the upper hand in what became a turning point in the war. 

As officials race against time to save five people aboard the missing Titanic submersible, an immersive new video shows how deep it could be. 

The clip, created by Spanish animation company MetaBallStudios, gradually descends through a digital underwater scenescape. 

As it goes, the heights of multiple landmarks are depicted in the water, including the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. 

Eventually, the camera reaches 12,000ft (3,700 metres) down – the bottom of the North Atlantic, where the remains of the Titanic sit.

The Titan submersible, operated by US firm OceanGate, started its dive on Sunday morning but all contact with its mothership was lost shortly after.

One of Pakistan‘s richest men, Shahzada Dawood, is aboard the vessel alongside his son Suleman, British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush and French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

The five people have only around a day of oxygen left, according to authorities, as of Wednesday morning UK time. 

Authorities raised the alarm on Sunday when the vessel vanished less than two hours into its venture.

The sub had launched its £195,000-a-head ($248,094) tour from the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 2:30am EST (7:30am GMT) on Sunday.

It’s understood that Titan communicates with those on the surface by sending an alert to its mothership, the Polar Prince, every 15 minutes.

The five on board last ‘pinged’ the mothership at 10am EST (3pm GMT) on Sunday, while directly above their destination of the Titanic. 

This could indicate that they are now somewhere on the ocean floor, with the wreckage split in two halves at around 12,500ft (3,800m) below the surface.

To put the depth into context, MailOnline has created a graphic showing how this depth compares to famously tall structures, including London’s Big Ben, Willis Tower in Chicago and the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon, a natural geological formation in Arizona, is about 6,000 feet (1,828 metres) – less than half the depth of the Titanic’s wreckage.  

It reveals how landmarks that are famous for their height pale in comparison to this – with the Statue of Liberty at just 305ft (93m), the Eiffel Tower at 1,083ft (330m) and the Empire State Building at 1,250ft (381m).

Even the UAE’s Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – looks tiny against the depths of the North Atlantic, at a height of 2,217ft (675m).

And the vast Grand Canyon is no different at 6,000ft (1,828m) – less than half the depth of the Titanic’s wreckage.

The OceanGate vessel has been described as a submarine, but in truth it’s actually a submersible.

A submarine is an independent cruiser with its own power supply and air renewal system, while a submersible needs to be supported by a nearby surface vessel or shore team. 

On average, submarines can venture to around a maximum of 1,476 feet (450 metres), according to Marine Insight, which is just over the height of Chicago’s Willis Tower.

But OceanGate’s Titan submersible is designed to reach depths nearly 800 per cent greater than this, at a maximum of 13,123 feet (4,000 metres).

While this beats the depth of the North Atlantic seabed, experts fear it may be too far for a US Navy sub to reach, with its capabilities limited to just 2,000 feet (609 metres).

As a result, remotely operated vehicles may be the only alternative to rescue them – reaching maximum depths of 20,000 feet (6,096 metres). 

David Gallo, who owns the salvage rights to the Titanic’s wreck site, told CNN: ‘One of the biggest things is where is it? Is it on the bottom, is it floating, is it mid-water? 

‘That is something that has not been determined yet… We will have to wait and see and hope for the best.

‘The water is very deep – two miles plus. It’s like a visit to another planet, it’s not what people think it is. It is a sunless, cold environment and high pressure.’ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talk about a deep sleep.  

A hotel that claims to be the deepest in the world has opened 1,375ft (419m) below the mountains of Snowdonia in Wales.

This subterranean bolthole, with stays costing up to £550, is set deep within a chamber of the abandoned Cwmorthin slate mine and can only be accessed via a ‘steep and challenging’ route through the old workings.

Called ‘Deep Sleep’, it’s comprised of four private twin-bed cabins and a ‘romantic’ grotto room with a double bed, a dining area and loo facilities with simple toilets and sinks.

The hotel, which describes itself as a ‘remote-camp adventure experience’ and is run by the outdoor activity company Go Below, only opens one night a week – Saturday night. Guests’ experience begins on Saturday evening at 5pm at Go Below’s base near the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, where they meet the guides that will lead them to the hotel.

First, they must trek 45 minutes into the mountains on a route that’s ‘steep at times’ but said to offer ‘beautiful’ views.

They stop at a cottage to ‘kit up’ for their descent into the netherworld with a helmet, a light, a harness and Wellington boots.

What’s next? The hotel website says: ‘Then it’s time to say goodbye to the outside world and head into the depths of the world’s largest and deepest abandoned slate mine.’

Tackling the challenging route through the mine – which was worked from around 1810 to 1939 – guests will navigate ancient miners’ stairways, decaying bridges and scrambles.

The guide will provide ‘plenty of historical information’ about the lives of the men and boys who worked in the mine en route, with the descent to the hotel taking around an hour. 

When they arrive at Deep Sleep – its entrance marked by a large steel door – guests are welcomed with a warm drink and can enjoy a complimentary ‘expedition-style’ meal on the hotel’s picnic table. 

‘Then you are welcome to retire to your bed for a very deep sleep,’ the hotel notes.

Year-round, the hotel sits at a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit), but the cabins are ‘quite cosy’ thanks to the thick insulation that lines their walls.

All electric lighting is low-voltage and powered by 12v batteries. Surprisingly, it does have Wi-Fi, provided through a one-kilometre-long ethernet cable from a 4G antenna on the surface. There’s even running water from a spring within the mine. 

The guide and a member of technical staff stay overnight in the hotel, with breakfast – ‘simple snacks’ and a warm drink – taking place at 8am the following morning.

Then, it’s time to make the ascent to the surface of the mine, reaching daylight once again.

The idea for the experience, which launched in April, came from Go Below’s founder, Miles Moulding. It takes the crown of the world’s deepest accommodation from a hotel suite that lies 508ft (154m) underground in Sweden’s Sala Silver Mine. 

A private cabin for two is £350 and a night’s stay for two in the grotto is £550. Visit go-below.co.uk/deep-sleep.asp.