2015 was a prolific year for my photography adventures, I have been always interested in WWII history especially in the Pacific area and in February of last year a long time dream trip, one of the top five in my list came true, dive and photograph the WWII Japanese ghost fleet at the bottom of Truk atoll (today Chuuk) in the Federated States of Micronesia. Before and after this trip I did my due research and my homework and following are some of my interesting findings.
1 – The location of Chuuk Atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia (Caroline Islands)
2 – My dive permit
I arrived in Truk on 16 February 2015, exactly 71 years before my trip, on 16-18 February 1944 the American Task Force 58 struck a massive attack on this formidable stronghold and strategic base of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific. It was a crucial moment of the WWII.
During my trip while stopping over in Guam on the way to Micronesia I met Dr. Dianne Strong a long time visitor of Truk, researcher and author of the book “Witness to War” about the Japanese domination time and the event that changed the destiny of the atoll. We boarded the same flight to Truk, she was heading there to lead the celebrations for the 71st anniversary ceremony and we had an interesting conversation about the existing literature on Truk and the wrecks.
The fleet resting underwater remained forgotten for 25 years until 1969 when the oceanographer and explorer Cap. Jacques Cousteau visited the lagoon and documented his findings in a documentary “Lagoon of lost ships” in 1970. At that time, only a few of the wrecks were discovered.
3 – The rising sun, the flag of the Imperial Japanese forces
The Japanese domination time was very long, during WWII Truk had over 27000 soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and over 16000 men of the Imperial Japanese Navy stationed in or around the atoll. There were 5 airports, a submarine base, a seaplane base, a base of supply in torpedoes and a radar tracking station.
I own this small original banner measuring 15x25cm that was used by Japanese military families to celebrate their son’s departure for the war.
Possiedo questo piccolo stendardo originale di formato 15x25cm che veniva usato dalle famiglie dei militari giapponesi per celebrare la partenza del figlio per la guerra.
Ein kleines Originalbanner von 15x25cm, das von japanischen Militärfamilien verwendet wurde, um die Abreise ihres Sohnes in den Krieg zu feiern.
Original newspaper
The US task force 58 that launched the attack name coded Operation Hailstone was composed of 9 aircraft carriers, 7 battleship, over 500 dive bombers were used in the two days attack.
5 – Task Force 58 sailing to Truk
Due to the strategic importance of Truk as a military base, for the American forces and the public opinion this operation was equivalent by significance to the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor. Moreover, some of the Japanese Imperial ships, aircrafts and submarines sunk during Operation Hailstone were directly or indirectly involved in the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor of four years and two months earlier. Famous the phrase of the Admiral Chester Nimitz “The Pacific Fleet has returned at Truk the visit made by the Japanese Fleet at Pearl Harbor…”
7 – USS Intrepid on her way to launch strikes against Truk Atoll. Note the forward flight deck filled SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger aircraft and one F4U Corsair on the outrigger sponson.
The massive scale attack with 30 air strikes in two days of at least 150 aircraft each was performed without any land invasion and resulted in heavy damages over the land base, and the Japanese fleet decimated. A total of 12 warships and 32 merchant vessels sent to the bottom of the lagoon, 2 submarines, over 275 planes destroyed and thousands of Japanese sailors perished.
8 – Avengers TBF rolling off the USS Monteray
9 – Daylight raids on Truk 16 Feb 1944
10 – Daylight raids on Truk 16 Feb 1944
11 – F6F-3 Hellcat fighters landing on USS Enterprise after raid on Truk
Compared to the Japanese side the US task force lost “only” 25 planes, 40 man and received damages on the US Intrepid aircraft-carrier and US Iowa cruiser as a result of the Japanese weak air borne defensive reaction.
12 – Strike photo taken from USS Intrepid aircraft showing burning targets and bomb splashes between the islands of Dublon and Fefan inside Truk Lagoon, Caroline Islands, 16 Feb 1944.
It is interesting to know that during Operation Hailstone for the first time ever dive-bombers used only radar guidance to strike night air attacks.
13 – After the raids on Truk 16 Feb 1944
14 – A Japanese Zero grounded on one of Truk’s islands
In the following weeks and months attacks from US Navy B-29 flying fortress brought Truk to his knees, on 2 September 1945 after almost two years of isolation and starvation Truk Atoll surrendered.
15 – Japanese surrender soldiers inspected by US officials on Truk
The surrendering documents were signed on the USS Portland.
16 Japanese delegation to surrender Truk 1945
Today only the location of around forty shipwrecks and eight aircrafts is known; at least fourteen more ships are still to be found.
17 – Map of the known wrecks’ locations
Below are some of the photos I took during my stay in Truk.
Some parts of Truk lagoon’s islands like Fefan or Weno Islands are today secluded and beautiful tropical spots, during WWII the Japanese used forced labor to flatten the ground and build airfields and other military installations, today they are for the most part fully covered by the jungle.
18 – The southern tip of Weno island an airfield during the Japanese time, still visible bunkers and other military installations
19 – Weno island
20 – The southern tip of Weno island
21 – Fefan island now covered in jungle where once was an airfield of the Japanese force
22 – View of Doblon island. The weather in this part of Micronesia is very unpredictable (the equator hey) and it was often suddenly cloudy and rainy out of a sunny blue sky.
23 – The cameras’ deck
24 – My camera gear ready for the next shooting
25 – Our days started always very early with first dive at 7.00 am and last night dive at 6.00 pm
26 – Moving the Siren early morning
27 – A fellow photographer in front of one of the two giant propellers of the Heian Maru
28 – Cannon and fellow divers, on the left the air bar of the Siren
29 – Posing in front of the propellers of the Heian Maru
30 – The Heian Maru and characters marks clearly visible
31 – The maneuver telegraph frozen in time at the bow of the Fujikawa Maru
31a – Mikronesien, Chuck. Der gleiche Telegraf von oben während des Fotos gesehen, benötigen Sie eine gute Technik, um die Kamera stabil zu halten, und Sie müssen sehr vorsichtig sein, um nicht auf irgendeine Form von Meereslebewesen zu gelangen, die sogar gefährlich sind, und um die Korallen nicht zu beschädigen.
32 – Me in front of the Rio de Janeiro Maru modelling for UW photographer Joanna O’Shea our group leader
33 – Me next to the Rio de Janeiro Maru’s propeller (photo courtesy of Joanna O’Shea, Bluewater)
34 – Me and soft fan on the Shinkoku Maru (photos courtesy of Joanna O’Shea, Bluewater)
35 – On top of the command bridge of a wreck (photo courtesy of a fellow photographer)
36 – A ghost in the deep blue. The bow of a wreck
37 – Diver and a bow cannon still pointing up towards the attacking planes
38 – The mast of a wreck
39 – Close-up of the helm inside the command bridge of the Nippo Maru
Some of the ships were so big that two or three dives could not cover the entire ship, it was necessary to plan different penetrations to see the most interesting parts of the wreck. Just to get an idea, the biggest wreck the Heian Maru has a total length of 163,3 m and a tonnage of almost 12.000 tons.
40 – Inside the hold of a wreck
41 – Stairs lead deeper in the belly of a wreck
42 – Signs of what once was daily life on the ship
Penetrating the wrecks is a back-chilling experience and needs planning and mental preparation, some areas like the ship infirmary of the Shinkoku Maru have still so much to tell; an operating table is still well visible (photo below) with some once daily sailors objects gathered on it. She served as cargo ship and was present during Pearl Harbour’s attack.
43 – The operating table in the infirmary of the ship Shinkoku Maru
The wrecks are war graves and still scattered with human remains, a sad reminder of what happened at the time of the attack, a high sense of respect is due while penetrating the wrecks.
44 – Human remains and artifact are gathered on the table
45 – Never again! Some artifacts deep inside a wreck
46 – A skull in the engine room of a wreck blown by a torpedo hit
Because of the depth and the repetitive deep dives it’s easy to surpass the limits of recreational diving and face the problems of decompression dives; proper planning, focus and concentration are crucial here. A great deal of attention is also necessary because of the presence of abundant war weapons like mines, explosives, torpedoes, munitions, and even war heads all still “active”.
47 – A massive m long submarine torpedo in the hold of a wreck
48 – In the Sankisan Maru. Ammunitions ammunitions and more ammunitions
49 – Above are some giant 45-cal shells 46 cm (18.1 in) still active I photographed into the belly of the Yamagiri Maru. The debate is if these massive 1400kg war-heads, the largest calibre shells ever fitted to a ship, were to be used on the two gigantic 73.000 tons battleships Musashi and Yamato, honor and pride of the Imperial Japanese Imperial Navy, the biggest battleships ever constructed in naval history.
50 – Me aiming at one of the Nippo Maru air vents, below is the shot I took here (photo Joanna O’Shea, Bluewater)
51 – A close look inside one of the air vents of the Nippo Maru
52 – An encrusted lamp
53 – A wooden box full of medicine bottles
54 – Water kettle
55 – Oxygen tank
56 – Artifacts collected in the past by fellow divers
57 – Passage-way fully engulfed by beautiful corals
58 – The command bridge of a wreck
59 – A truck in the hold of a wreck still quite well conserved
Underwater like on the surface, life ultimately wins over death; abundant hard and soft corals formations cover the wrecks, especially at depth within 15-18 mt, some of them were so beautiful they inspired many wide angle photos.
67 – Preparing the next shot
69 – Looking up to the blue from inside a wreck’s hold
70 – A coral wrasse getting very curious
71 – Hard coral formations are very spectacular
73 – Encounter with a lion fish
Aircraft wrecks – Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero “Zeke”
74 – The Japanese “Zero” a long time unbeatable fighting machine
75 – The 20mm wing cannon of the Zero fighter
76 – Face to face with the cannon. Beautiful soft and hard corals grows on the wreck.
Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bomber
81 – Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bombers and Zeros in formation
82 – Inside the Betty bomber, in the forward section the cockpit area
83 – After careful search I found this exit bullet hole on the fuselage of the Betty, it could be a 18mm
84 – The pilot’s seat is on the sandy bottom floor
85 – Close-up of the top turret
86 – Through the top turret hatch
87 – The toilet bowl lies on the sandy sea bottom
Note: the information and historical details I have collected over a long period are publicly available for divulgation. Most of the historical photos shown here are from the US National Archives and Records Administration.
References:
Witness to War: Truk Lagoon’s Master Diver Kimiuo AisekHardcover– 2013 by Dianne M. Strong (Author), David Jay Morris (Editor), Francis X. Hezel(Foreword)
World War II Wrecks of the Truk Lagoon 1st Edition – 2001 by Dan E. Balley
http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/USNavyOperationHailStone.html
