Just days after discovering the sunken hull of the carrier Lexington earlier this month, an expedition team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen located the wreckage of the light cruiser Juneau on March 17. Lexington was scuttled after sustaining significant damage during the Battle of Coral Sea in May 1942. A Japanese torpedo hit Juneau off the coast of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, cutting it in half and sinking it in 30 seconds, that November. Half the crew was killed — including the five Sullivan brothers, who were stationed on the ship at their insistence despite Navy regulations that barred siblings from serving together.
Allen funded the effort, during which the research vessel Petrel combed the ocean floor for famous vessels. In addition to Lexington and Juneau, Petrel also found the destroyer Ward and Italian battleship Artigliere last year, and the cruiser Astoria and Japanese battleship Musashi in 2015. Petrel also recovered the ship’s bell from the British battleship Hood in 2015. The German battleship Bismarck sunk Hood in 1941. Petrel was refitted two years ago, making it capable diving nearly three and a half miles.
