Introduction
Recently, Nauticos has discovered a significant piece of wreckage
on the ocean floor off of the island of Midway. From all appearances,
the artifact originates from one of the four Japanese carriers
sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. This is a tremendously
important find to the historic record. Nauticos intends a follow-on
expedition to the Midway battlefield shortly. At such time they
hope to locate the ship from which the wreckage came. In support
of this expedition, it is important to positively identify the
wreckage found thus far.
Analysis Goal
The goal of this analysis is to positively identify the ship from
which the wreckage came. On the basis of the photographic evidence
to hand, we believe that this analysis conclusively achieves this
primary goal.
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Secondarily, the analysis seeks to lay out a theory regarding how
and when the artifact was created, and how it ended up on the seabed
in its present state. In support of this objective, we believe that
general comments can be made as to its origins, but gaps in the
historic record prevent us from conclusively determining the exact
timing and circumstances surrounding the creation of the wreckage.
Analytical Approach
This analysis builds on the work performed in our earlier Preliminary
Analysis document, dated December 6, 1999. However, in contrast
to the earlier document (which compared a textual description of
the wreckage against every available gun tub aboard the three ships),
this analysis is more descriptive in nature. We seek to recreate
the thought processes and arguments that led to the final identification
of the wreckage.
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We rely primarily on the photographic evidence made available from
Nauticos, as well as photos, line art, and models of Japanese warships.
As in the first document, only three of the Japanese carriers that
were sunk at the Battle of Midway are included in this analysis. These
are the Akagi, Kaga, and Sôryû. The fourth Japanese carrier
lost, the Hiryû, is excluded from examination due to the distance
she likely sank (approximately 50 miles northwest, i.e. downwind)
from the location where the wreckage was discovered.
Platform Nomenclature
Throughout this analysis, the gun tub numbering scheme put forth in
the Preliminary Analysis document is used. In this system, gun tubs
are referred to by: Shipname-Side (port, starboard, or bow)-Mount#.
Thus, “Kaga-P#4” refers to the fourth mount back from the
bow on the port side of Kaga.
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