From decorated service in World War II to atomic testing in Bikini Atoll, USS Independence had a storied career. Scuttled in 1951 off of San Francisco, no one has seen this aircraft carrier since–until now. Nautilus conducted the first visual survey of Independence since her sinking and imaged the ship for photomosaic and microbathymetry data. 

This USS Independence dive was part of an expedition to explore the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary with our partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Naval Historical Foundation. 

View our photo album from this incredible exploration.