As part of a mission to map the location of shipwrecks in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with the U.S. Navy and The Boeing Company have captured images of the USS Independence.

The WWII light aircraft carrier sits on the ocean floor in 2,600 feet of water off the coast of California’s Farallon Islands. 

According to NOAA scientists, the Independence‘s flight desk and hull are clearly seen and “amazingly intact,” with what appears to be a plane still visible in the hanger bay. 

In 1946 the ship was used as part of the fleet for the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests. Later the Navy towed the damaged ship out to sea for scuttling in January of 1951.