Now, researchers are revealing Petrel found the wreckage of the USS Hornet in late January ‐ exactly what they were looking for. The ship was found more than 17,000 feet below the surface, on the floor of the South Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands. The USS Hornet is best known for launching the important Doolittle Raid in April of 1942 and its role in winning the Battle of Midway.
Richard Nowatzki, 95 now, was an 18-year-old gunner on Hornet when enemy planes scored several hits, reports CBS News' Mark Phillips.
"When they left, we were dead in the water," Nowatzki said. "They used armor piercing bombs, now when they come down, you hear 'em going through the decks ... plink, plink, plink, plink ... and then when they explode the whole ship shakes."
With 140 of her crew already dead, the order was given to abandon ship. The Hornet went to the bottom ‐ three and a half miles down ‐ which the crew of the Petrel has been scanning with a deep-sea sonar drone that sends back live pictures.