See the World Differently
On the 16th of February 1944 the first wave of Operation Hailstone strafed Chuuk Lagoon, raining death across the islands. American bombers quickly decimated the Japanese airstrips and destroyed dozens of aircraft while they were still on the ground. Over the next two days, an unyielding storm of bombs and torpedoes pounded the Japanese fleet […]
As soon as we stepped out of our minibus, the man appeared. He had wild black hair and piercing eyes and held out his hand as he waited impatiently for payment. With a fist full of dollars, he set off along an overgrown path into the jungle. We followed. After a short but sweaty walk […]
The Fujikawa Maru is widely regarded as one of the best wreck dives in the world. We had fun looking through dozens of artifacts and delving deep inside the ship. Built in 1938, this cargo ship was requisitioned by the Japanese Navy for the war effort just two years later. The vessel and her crew […]
With it’s heavily defended natural harbour, Chuuk Lagoon was one of Japan’s main naval bases during the Pacific War. Dozens of ships passed through these waters providing much needed supplies for the warships, submarines and aircraft deployed throughout the South Pacific. At the first hint of an American attack on Chuuk, the majority of the […]
A rusty medical box, the embossed cross still visible on the front, sits atop the superstructure, now filled with a mismatched collection of bottles. We drop over the side and descend past the peeling layers of rust until we spot the inviting darkness of an open doorway. Gently cruising into the gloom, our torchlight catches […]
The Betty Bomber plunged out of control, engines failing, and hit the waters of Chuuk Lagoon. The aircraft crashed into the waves a few hundred metres short of Eten Island airstrip. The engines broke off, finally coming to rest some distance from the plane. The coral encrusted cockpit now lies detached from the body in […]