The USS Independence (CVL-22) was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier served during the Second World War. She took part in the attacks on Rabaul, Tarawa, Luzon, Okinawa, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and others strike duties. When war finished, Independence was used as a target during the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests in Bikini Atoll. 

After being transported back to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco for study, she was later sunk near the Farallon Islands. 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. 

E/V Nautilus is exploring the ocean studying biology, geology, archeology, and more.