VOA慢速英语2019 海洋探测人员发现二战中被击沉的日本航母（在线收听）

Ocean Explorers Discover Sunken Warships from World War II

Deep-sea explorers have reported finding two Japanese warships that sank during a major battle in World War II.

深海探测人员报告称，他们发现了两艘在二战期间一场重大战争中沉没的日本战舰。

Explorers and researchers used a robotic underwater vehicle to help with their search in the northern Pacific Ocean. The vehicle is equipped with sonar, which measures sound waves to create images.

探测人员和研究人员使用水下机器人帮助他们在北太平洋进行搜索。这种水下机器人安装了声纳，可以通过测量声波来绘制图像。

The team told The Associated Press (AP) it discovered a warship after examining sonar images collected from the vehicle on Sunday. The team said it appears the sunken ship is the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi.

该团队对美联社表示，周日他们在检查水下机器人拍摄的声纳图像之后发现了一艘军舰。该团队称，这艘沉没的军舰似乎是日本赤城号航母。

The wreckage was found near Midway Atoll, an island about 2,100 kilometers northwest of Hawaii.

这些残骸是在夏威夷西北约2100公里的中途岛环礁附近发现的。

A private research ship, the Petrel, is leading the exploration. A private American company, Vulcan Inc., is providing support. Vulcan was started by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation. Allen died last year.

海燕号私人调查船主导了这项勘查。美国私人企业瓦尔肯公司对此提供赞助。瓦尔肯公司由微软公司联合创始人保罗·艾伦创立。艾伦于去年辞世。

Rob Kraft is head of Vulcan’s undersea operations. He told The Associated Press that based on the data collected, his team is sure they found the aircraft carrier.

罗伯特·卡夫是瓦尔肯公司海底作业的负责人。他对美联社表示，该团队根据收集到的数据确认他们发现了这艘航空母舰。

“It can be none other than Akagi,” he said.

他说：“这是赤城号无疑。”

Kraft added that the warship was sitting among a pile of wreckage and the surrounding ground was heavily affected by the ship hitting the seafloor.

卡夫补充说，这艘战舰坐落在一堆残骸之中，周围地面受到了船体撞击海底的严重影响。

The Akagi was the second warship found in the area. Last week, the Petrel research team reported finding another Japanese aircraft carrier, the Kaga.

赤城号是该地区发现的第二艘战舰。上周，海燕研究团队报告称发现了日本另一艘航空母舰加贺号。

Sonar images of the Kaga showed it was in a similar condition. The front of the carrier is thought to have hit the seafloor at a high rate of speed, creating a large crater and spreading debris in the area.

加贺号的声纳图像表明它处于类似的状况。据认为，航母的前部以很高的速度撞击海底，形成了一个巨坑，残骸散布到了该区域。

During the battle, bombs struck the Kaga, causing a massive fire. Yet sonar images show that the ship stayed mostly together when it sank.

加贺号在战斗中被炮弹击中，引发大火。然而，声纳图像显示，这艘战舰在沉没时基本上保持了完整。

Historians consider the Battle of Midway in 1942 an important victory for the United States during World War II.

历史学家认为1942年的中途岛海战是美国在二战期间的重大胜利。

American and Japanese aircraft carriers and warplanes fought the battle about 320 kilometers off Midway Atoll. At the time, the atoll was home to a U.S. military base that provided naval and air support against the Japanese.

美国和日本的航母和战机在中途岛约320公里处展开战斗。当时，中途岛是美国军事基地，该基地为打击日本提供了海军和空中支援。

Japan’s military had planned to capture Midway Atoll in a surprise attack. But U.S. forces gained possession of Japanese communications before the attack and were waiting when the forces arrived. More than 2,000 Japanese and 300 Americans died in the fighting.

日本军方曾计划用一次奇袭中占领中途岛。但是美军在袭击发生前已经掌握了日本的通讯，等着日军的到来。有2000多名日本人和300多名美国人在这次战斗中丧生。

Seven ships, five Japanese and two American, sank during the battle. Until now, only one of the seven had been found. The crew of the Petrel is hoping to find all the lost ships.

有7搜战舰在这次战斗中沉没，日军5艘，美军2艘。到目前为止只发现了其中一艘。海燕号船员希望找到所有失踪的战舰。

Robert Kraft said the research ship’s efforts started with Paul Allen and his desire to honor his father’s military service. But he says the project now extends way beyond that beginning.

卡夫表示，这艘研究船的各种努力始于艾伦以及他兑现父亲军中荣耀的愿望。但是他表示，该项目现在已经超出了最初的范围。

“We’re honoring today’s service members, it’s about education and, you know, bringing history back to life for future generations,” he said.

他说：“我们是在向现役军人致敬，这是一种教育，要把历史带回给子孙后代。”

Frank Thompson is a historian with the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C. He also is part of the Petrel research team.

弗兰克·汤普森是华盛顿特区海军历史与遗产司令部的历史学家。他也是海燕调查团队的一员。

“We read about the battles, we know what happened,” Thompson told the AP. “But when you see these wrecks on the bottom of the ocean and everything, you kind of get a feel for what the real price is for war.”

汤普森对美联社表示：“我们了解这场大战，我们知道发生了什么。但是当你看到海底的这些战舰的残骸以及各种遗物时，你会对战争的真正代价有更深层的感触。”

He added: “You see the damage these things took, and it’s humbling to watch some of the video of these vessels because they’re war graves.”

他还说：“你看到这些战舰遭受的破坏，看到这些战舰的一些视频会非常震撼，因为它们是战争的坟墓。”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

data – n. factual information

pile – n. a number of things put one on top of another or next to each other

crater – n. a big hole in the ground

humbling – adj. feeling less important, less proud

vessel – n. a ship or large boat