Wreck of USS Hornet, from which first WWII airborne attack on Japan was launched, found in South Pacific

The discovery of the wreck of the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, which played a key role in several monumental points during World War II including the Doolittle Raid on Japan and the pivotal Battle of Midway, was announced Tuesday by U.S. researchers, more than 75 years after the vessel was sunk.

An expedition crew funded by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen that searches for "historically significant shipwrecks" uncovered the wreckage in waters more than 5 kilometers deep in the South Pacific Ocean in late January.

"We had Hornet on our list of WWII warships that we wanted to locate because of its place in history as a capitol carrier that saw many pivotal moments in naval battles," said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Allen's company Vulcan, in a statement.