New photos of Yorktown sinking at Midway

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Newly posted photos at Naval Historical & Heritage Command. Photos taken of the Yorktown as she sank. Two of the photos I have seen before on page 166 of the book "A Glorious Page In Our History".

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/even ... d-10d3.htm




USS Yorktown (CV-5) sinking, just after dawn on 7 June 1942, as seen from an accompanying destroyer.
The ship has capsized to port, exposing the turn of her starboard bilge.
This view looks toward the ship's bottom, with Yorktown's bow off camera to the right. The large hole made by one or two submarine torpedoes is in the center of the photo, severing the ship's forward bilge keel. Note the strip of debris sticking up from the hole's lower rear.
The stern of one of the ship's accompanying destroyers is in the extreme right distance.

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The ship has capsized to port, exposing the turn of her starboard bilge, with a large torpedo hole amidships severing the forward bilge keel. Yorktown's forefoot is at the extreme right. Her starboard forward 5-inch gun gallery can be seen further up her hull, with two 5"/38 gun barrels sticking out over its edge. The two larger thin objects sticking up, just aft of the 5-inch guns, are aircraft parking outriggers. When the ship's wreck was examined in May 1998, both guns were still in position, but the outriggers were gone.

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This view looks toward the ship's bottom, with Yorktown's starboard forward five-inch gun gallery at the right. Her bow is off-camera, further to the right. The large hole, made by one or two submarine torpedoes and severing the ship's forward bilge keel, is in the left center. Note the strip of debris sticking up from the hole's lower rear.

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This view looks toward the ship's bottom from off her bow, with Yorktown's forefoot in the right foreground and her starboard forward five-inch gun gallery beyond. The large hole made by one or two submarine torpedoes, severing the ship's forward bilge keel, is toward the left.
USS Monaghan (DD-354) is in the left center distance.

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The ship has rolled over to port, exposing the turn of her starboard bilge, with a large torpedo hole amidships severing the forward bilge keel. Yorktown's forefoot is in the center foreground. The forward starboard corner of her flight deck is near the sea surface at extreme right, with the bow Landing Signal Officer platform extending upward from it.

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This view looks aft, with Yorktown's forefoot in the center foreground and the forward end of her flight deck in the right center.

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The ship has capsized over to port, with her bow nearest to the camera. Her forefoot is at left, and her forward 1.1" machine gun positions, located just in front of the island, are very near the sea surface at right. Note froth on the water from escaping air.

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This view looks aft from off the forward end of Yorktown's flight deck. Her forefoot is at the left. In the center, severing the ship's forward bilge keel, is the large hole made by one or more submarine torpedoes.

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This view looks toward the ship's starboard flight deck gallery, with her forefoot at the left. The front edge of the flight deck is slightly to the right of the forefoot, with a .50 caliber machine gun tub and the bow Landing Signal Officer platform sticking up. Further aft is her starboard forward five-inch gun gallery, with two 5"/38 guns pointing upwards. Behind them are two aircraft parking outriggers and the front of her forward 1.1-inch machine gun position, located just in front of the island. Beyond that, in the right center, is the large hole made by one or more submarine torpedoes. Note the strip of debris sticking up from the hole's rear end.

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This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with her bilge beyond. Yorktown's forefoot and front edge of her flight deck are toward the left. In the right center is the large hole made by one or more submarine torpedoes. Note the oil slick surrounding the ship.

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This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with her forefoot and front edge of the flight deck in the left center.
Note froth at right from escaping air.

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This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with her forefoot and front edge of the flight deck in the left center.

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This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with her forefoot and front edge of the flight deck in the left center.

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This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with her forefoot and front edge of the flight deck in the center. A .50 caliber machine gun tub is on the front corner of the flight deck, with the ship's bow and its 20mm gun tub visible beyond the flight deck's front.

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This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with her forefoot and front edge of the flight deck in the center.

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The ship has capsized to port and is settling rapidly by the stern, with the speed of her motion perhaps causing the moderate fuzziness of this image.
This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with the front edge of the flight deck in the center and her forefoot visible beyond.

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This view looks over the ship's upper starboard structure, with the front edge of the flight deck and her bow in the center.

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The speed of her motion has perhaps caused the extreme fuzziness of this image.
The last visible feature appears to be the .50 caliber machine gun tub located on the starboard forward corner of Yorktown's flight deck.

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This one is out of order:


This view looks forward, with Yorktown's forefoot in the right center. The large hole made by one or two submarine torpedoes is in the center of the photo. Yorktown's starboard forward 5-inch gun gallery is in the left center, with two 5"/38 gun barrels sticking out over its edge. The two larger thin objects sticking up, just aft of the 5-inch guns, are aircraft parking outriggers. When the ship's wreck was examined in May 1998, both guns were still in position, but the outriggers were gone.

[Anonymous]

These photos make me think of how dark it gets when you dive so deep. And how a great ship enteres the deep and how dark it is. Thank you for these pictures they make me shiver when I think how far down they must go.

MO