US billionaire Paul Allen says he has found a missing World War II aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington, some 76 years after it sank in the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Allen said on Monday that the Lexington had been located by his research vessel, Petrel, more than 800km east of Queensland.
Underwater videos on Allen's website shows decayed wreckage of the warship, 3000 metres below sea level, as well as damaged US planes.
One of the first aircraft carriers for the US Navy, the ship, nicknamed Lady Lex, sank during the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 8, 1942, after being hit by Japanese torpedoes.
The ship was first evacuated before being sunk by the USS Phelps destroyer. 216 crewmen were killed in the incident while 35 aircraft also sank with the boat.
"Lexington was on our priority list because she was one of the capital ships that was lost during WWII," said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Allen.
"Based on geography, time of year and other factors, I work with Paul Allen to determine what missions to pursue. We've been planning to locate the Lexington for about six months and it came together nicely."
Allen, one of Microsoft's co-founders, has led a number of other successful underwater search missions and also discovered the USS Indianapolis last year, after it sank in 1945.
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