text: After languishing at the bottom of the Pacific for a staggering 64 years, an aircraft carrier from the Second World War has been discovered 'amazingly intact'. Experts found the giant U.S. ship - which could incredibly still have a plane inside it - standing upright and listing only slightly. The USS Independence is resting 800m underwater off California's Farallon Islands with its hull and deck very well preserved and clearly visible. There also appears to be a plane in the hangar bay of the vessel, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday. Scroll down for video . Discovery: Features of the 'amazingly intact' USS Independence are captured in a three-dimensional sonar image (bottom) of the shipwreck - 64 years after it sunk . Historic: Experts found the giant U.S. ship (pictured in 1943) - which could incredibly still have a plane inside it - standing upright and listing only slightly . High tech: Experts last month used an autonomous underwater vehicle called the Echo Ranger (pictured) made by Boeing to survey the Independence . Ambitious: The ranger was deployed as part of a two-year mission by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to find historic shipwrecks . Found: The USS Independence was found off California's Farallon Islands (pictured) with its hull and deck very well preserved and clearly visible . The veteran ship even survived an atomic bomb test after being chosen as a 'target vessel' for Operation Crossroads on July 1, 1946. After taking part in yet another explosion, it was eventually decommissioned in August 1946 before its highly radioactive hull was taken to San Francisco five years later. Controversy surrounds its sinking as some believe the ship was loaded with barrels of radioactive waste that subsequently contaminated the wildlife in the Farallon Islands. 'After 64 years on the seafloor, Independence sits on the bottom as if ready to launch its planes,' said James Delgado chief scientist on the NOAA mission. He added: 'This ship fought a long, hard war in the Pacific and after the war was subjected to two atomic blasts that ripped through the ship. 'It is a reminder of the industrial might and skill of the "greatest generation" that sent not only this ship but their loved ones to war.' The carrier is one of an estimated 300 wrecks in the waters off San Francisco - and the deepest known shipwreck in the sanctuary, according to NOAA. Independence operated in the central and western Pacific from November 1943 to August 1945 and later was one of more than 90 vessels assembled as a target fleet for atomic bomb tests in 1946 in the Marshall Islands. Mystery: Controversy surrounds Independence's sinking as some believe the ship was loaded with barrels of radioactive waste that subsequently contaminated the wildlife in the Farallon Islands . Tough: The veteran ship (pictured in 1951) even survived an atomic bomb test after being chosen as a 'target vessel' for Operation Crossroads on July 1, 1946 . 'Greatest generation': 'After 64 years on the seafloor, Independence (pictured in 1943) sits on the bottom as if ready to launch its planes,' said James Delgado chief scientist on the NOAA mission . Veteran: Independence (pictured in 1946) was one of more than 90 vessels assembled as a target fleet for atomic bomb tests in 1946 . Damaged by shock waves, heat and radiation, Independence survived the tests and returned to the United States. It was moored in San Francisco until age caught up with her and she was towed out to sea for scuttling in January 1951. Independence was found as part of a two-year NOAA mission to locate historic shipwrecks in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and nearby waters. Experts last month used an autonomous underwater vehicle called the Echo Ranger made by Boeing to survey the Independence. There are currently no plans at the moment to try and get inside the vessel, Delgado said. Independence was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation and commissioned in January 1943. She took part in the attacks on Rabaul and Tarawa in Japan before being torpedoed by Japanese planes, having to be repaired and refitted in San Francisco from January to July 1944.
target: 3D sonar images of the massive ship revealed many features were still intact .
  Discovered near California's Farallon Islands with hull, deck well preserved .
  It was underwater for 64 years after being used in atomic bomb tests 1940s .
  Controversy surrounds its sinking as some believe it contaminated waters .