It was the japanese resupply forward base in the pacific during ww2, the americans launched operation hailstorm on the 17th and 18th february 1944, in retaliation for the japanese attack on pearl harbour. And for the divers and researchers whove explored its depths, truk lagoon certainly lives up to its title. Dan is a leading authority on truk he has been compiling this information over many years and many trips. The chuuk lagoon, also known as truk lagoon, is a sheltered archipelago with mountainous islands and is fringed by a barrier reef which stretches for 140 miles 225km. Both the fascinating history and intriguing dives are brought to life by one of the. During world war ii, the lagoon was the japanese stronghold in the pacific. Scores of virtually intact large wwii wrecks filled with cargoes of tanks, trucks, artillery, beach mines, shells and aircraft rest in the crystal clear waters of the lagooneach a manmade reef teeming with life. Dive guide and boat boat were excellent, 14 dives a different wreck every dive, guide very knowledgeable on history of each wreck penetrations into engine rooms and cargo holds.
Wreck diving truk lagoon we were part of a group on a dive holiday to truk lagoon and dived with blue lagoon dive shop. The latest book from one of the worlds preeminent shipwreck explorers and. If you are more interested in the history, this is worth a further read. Hailstorm over truk lagoon is a book by klaus lindemann about the. It was a bit of a building site, but not too much of a problem. Two birds with one hailstone naval history magazine. Archaeological evidence suggests that the first people arrived at truk some 2,000 years ago, sailing outrigger canoes. Ship graveyard in truk lagoon, stunning pictures and informative article on the ghost fleet of chuuk. Chuuk lagoon also previously known as truk lagoon is a sheltered body of water in the central pacific.
Dive truk lagoon macdonald, rod 8601410690670 amazon. This is the name that is synonymous with what created this mecca for wreck divers. The graveyard lure of truk lagoon the new york times. Truk lagoon shipwrecks, rebreathers, complete information and maps for divers, photographs and text on 24 ships. National park service public domain via wikimedia commons. Built of steel, my truk master is the newest liveaboard yacht to ply the waters of this lagoon, welcoming aboard 16 guests for 7 or 10 night truk lagoon dive safaris, whilst on the bikini itineraries availability is limited as my truk master carries 12 divers only. Jacques cousteaus 1969 documentary lagoon of lost ships about the shipwrecks of truk lagoon. Dive the amazing wrecks of truk lagoon micronesia in comfort aboard the 58m ss thorfinn liveaboard.
Navy wwii attack on the imperial japanese navy, truk lagoon, february 1944. History books about world war ii history books about the federated states of. The ss thorfinn liveaboard has 10 airconditioned cabins, 7 of which have ensuite bathroom facilities. The island of truk in micronesia has a fascinating history.
How to get to truk lagoon travelling from the uk, the us or. Located at the epicenter of operation hailstone, the u. Featured book world war ii wrecks of the truk lagoon. Ebook dive truk lagoon as pdf download portable document format. Anyway, at the end of the 3 mile 20 minute journey, we entered paradise blue lagoon dive resort, formerly truk continental hotel. Dive truk lagoon ebook charlotte mecklenburg library. Using photographs of the unique artifacts in the museum in conjunction with historical photos and shots of the wrecks today, this book is designed to help the reader place the wrecks in their historical context. Truk lagoon diving liveaboard is a liveaboard cost necessary. In fact, it is the finest, most detailed history of operation hailstone the. Another cracking book by rod and one which will become the divers bible for truk diving in the future. Truk lagoon operation hailstone the dirty dozen expeditions.
In the 75 years since the hawaii clipper disappeared, no one has figured out what happened to the flying boat and its crew a few minutes before 6 a. Us air raid on the japanese held truk island 1944 world. The truk lagoon ocean floor holds an entire japanese fleet frozen in time, where it sank. The release of the beautiful hardcover edition of wwii wrecks of the truk lagoon is a volume that anyone interested in truk should acquire and add their book collection. World war ii wrecks of the truk lagoon is the most authoritative and complete reference on truk including the history of the japanese occupation, the aerial campaigns by us navy carrier forces operation hailstone and later attacks against shipping, aircraft, installations and defenses, and a thorough description of the ship and aircraft wrecks. It also details the attack that the us navy completed in february of 1944.
Although there are some underwater photographs, the book is predominantly historic, and covers the japanese occupation of the islands through to their demise at the hands of the us navy. Chuuk, with its vast, shallow, beautiful lagoon is a mecca for wreck divers. Truk lagoons name was changed to chuuk lagoon in 1990. Since then, he has returned over forty times in the past thirty years. The following world war ii shipwrecks of truk lagoon list was created by the u. On february 17th and 18th 1944, the us navy launched a crippling air attack on the japanese imperial fleet located inside the sheltered waters of truk chuuk lagoon in micronesia. But in brief, the reason why the wrecks are sitting on the seabed at chuuk lagoon is as a result of operation hailstone during world war ii.
Diving in truk lagoon, micronesia bluewater dive travel. Developed in partnership with the kimiuo aisek memorial museum at the blue lagoon resort in chuuk, this book presents these incredible stories. I used to say that hailstorm over truk lagoon by klaus lindemann was the book on truk, but dive truk lagoon has replaced it in my mind and my library. Little is known about truk also known as chuuk before that point, and even after that point. This book is spectacular in every dimensionphotography, history, and cartography. Both the fascinating history and intriguing dives are brought to life by one of the worlds preeminent shipwreck explorers. Truk lagoon is the greatest wreck diving location in the world, with scores of. About 1,800 kilometres 1,100 miles northeast of new guinea, it is located midocean at 7 degrees north latitude, and is part of chuuk state within the federated states of micronesia. They found a lagoon teaming with marine life and the fertile larger islands.
During the years following world war i when japan was awarded a mandate over the islands of micronesia, these islands were primarily looked upon as colonial territories that were ripe for exploitation and economic opportunity. Find a liveaboard practical information book a trip. Not only does this book go over the history of truk chuuk as it is now known lagoon but also the history of all the wrecks contained there from wwii. Here, more than 50 hulks have been transformed into ship reefs, holding the very best of the undersea world and maritime history at one site.
Sep 30, 2014 truk lagoon is quite simply the greatest wreck diving location in the world. Apr 30, 1972 moen, truk, eastern caroline islandsas the jetliner circled the white coral runway the pilot called attention to the protruding masts of a sunken japanese warship in the vast truk lagoon, the. Truk lagoons recorded history begins with early spanish domination, followed by german acquisition after the spanishamerican war about 1896, and then a japanese mandate from the league of nations upon germanys defeat in 1918. Jun 14, 2018 but it was during the next world war that the most dramatic chapter of truks history came, the chapter that made the area the biggest graveyard of ships in the world. During tf 58s twoday attack, of the 105 japanese planes at truk, 59 were shot down and 34 were destroyed on the ground. Well it will be paradise when theyve finished renovating it. A major shipwreck site from wwii, truk lagoon is unquestionably the worlds best shipwreck diving destination. If you want the perfect birthday or christmas present for yourself or a diver, this is it. First published in 1986, this recent printing is the sixth so far, so the book is obviously well accepted as an historic text on what happened at truk lagoon during world war 2 during operaton hailstorm. American naval forces neutralized the lagoons offensive capacity but did not try to.
When it was first released, this documentary reveled new discoveries and to this day still inspires awe. Truk lagoon, a small part of micronesia located about 1,100 miles northwest of new guinea in the western pacific, has been home to several tribes since at least 1528, when spanish explorers made the first recorded sightings there. Jan 20, 2011 here is an excerpt from the documentary film, the wrecks of truk lagoon. Scores of virtually intact large wwii wrecks filled with cargoes of tanks, trucks, artillery, beach mines, shells and aircraft rest in the crystal clear waters of the lagoon each a manmade reef teeming with life. A very handy book and no dounbt the first of several books published by a number of authors on truk lagoon.
World war ii wrecks of the truk lagoon, finally published in february 2001, was the result of eight years of concentrated research, writing, the drawing of the maps and illustrations and the assembling of of information and photos gathered from some 41 or 42. This is an essential book for anyone who wants to learn about the shipwrecks of truk lagoon. The undersea world of jacques cousteau lagoon of lost ships. Truk lagoon is quite simply the greatest wreck diving location in the world. In its 533 pages he also covers the history of the island, the japanese occupation and the subsequent us air campaign against the japanese. However, many scuba divers and resort operators still refer to it as truk lagoon. I have written other articles about truk lagoon, for example. If you are a history buff or a scuba diver or if you know anyone who is, this is the book to get. Each of the cabins is equipped with inroom vanities, tv and dvd player and a full length closet. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. May 07, 2015 operation hailstone was a massive naval air and surface raid launched on february 1617, 1944, during world war 2 by the united states navy against the japanese naval and air base at truk in the. First published in 1986, this recent printing is the sixth so far, so the book is obviously well accepted as an historic text on what happened at truk lagoon during world war 2. Ghost fleet of truk lagoon copy link facebook twitter reddit flipboard pocket for two days in 1944, allied bombers rained destruction on the beaches of the caroline islands in the south pacific.
The assault, codenamed operation hailstone, was multiple times more powerful than the japanese attack on pearl harbor. It first encountered widespread human settlement in the 14th century but was mostly undisturbed by outside influence until the 19th century when the spanish came and unsuccessfully tried to assert power. Top 2 best truk lagoon liveaboard trips the adventure. List of all shipwrecks in truk lagoon argunners magazine. Diving the world war ii wrecks of the truk lagoon scuba travel.
Ghost fleet of truk lagoon micronesia atlas obscura. A few small craft were found and promptly sunk in the lagoon, including fishing boats used to catch food for the isolated garrison. Wwii in the pacific, operation hailstone truk lagoon new. Dive truk lagoon, the japanese wwii pacific shipwrecks by.
Truk lagoon is the greatest wreck diving location in the world, with scores of large wwii wrecks becoming manmade reefs teeming with life. Chuuk lagoon, previously truk lagoon, is a sheltered body of water in the central pacific. Today, people think of the bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki were payback for pearl harbor, but that is wrong. The fishy side of truk lagoon photo report frank baensch. Dive truk lagoon, the japanese wwii pacific shipwrecks by rod. I lived and worked in truk in the 90s and had the good fortune to meet the author and lead him on a couple of island adventures. Oct 06, 2014 truk lagoon is quite simply the greatest wreck diving location in the world. This segment depicts some of the events leading up to operation hailstone which was the us raid on truk lagoon during wwii.
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