Underwater Graveyard Of Ships - Operation Hailstone

Operation Hailstone was a massive naval air and surface attack launched on February 16–17, 1944, during World War II by the United States Navy against the important Japanese naval and air base at Truk in the Caroline Islands, a pre-war Japanese territory.

At first glance, this looks like a lagoon tropical paradise, but a secret is in hiding ... under the thick layer of blue water lays the largest ship graveyard in the world. 

Truk Islands - a group of small islands in the archipelago of the Caroline Islands in the southwest Pacific. During the Second World War the largest naval base in Japan was situated here. On February 17, 1944 the Americans launched the military operation "Hailstone," which resulted in the sinking of 60 Japanese vessels.

 

1. We descend to the depth and the echoes of the first encounter of the Second World

2. Here's a sunken Japanese ship. Once upon a time there was a bathroom.

3. At the bottom you can see china of the Japanese ship Fujikawa

4. During the Second World War on the islands has the largest naval base in Japan (there were about 40,000 soldiers and civilians), and the airfield. The island was strategically important to the empire: it acted as communications headquarters, where radio commands fed, guided the operation of the naval forces of Japan in Micronesia.

5. In 1944, Truuk lagoon were ships of the 4th Imperial Navy and the command of the 6th submarine fleet. 

 6. American armada consisted of destroyers, submarines, aircraft carriers and more than 500 aircraft. In addition to the Japanese ships, 275 Japanese aircraft were destroyed .

7. Translated from the local language Truk translated as "high mountain." More than 60 warships and 275 Japanese planes were on the bottom of the lagoon, forming the largest ship graveyard in the world.

8. U.S. during this operation lost 25 aircraft. The sunken wreckage of a Japanese aircraft

9. Most of the wreckage of vehicles remained untouched for almost 25 years: people are simply afraid of sunken bombs. Now this place is very popular among divers, here you can find sunken ships with full holds, fighter planes, tanks and bulldozers.

10. A diver with a skull of Japanese sailor who was killed by a military operation in Truk Lagoon

11. Ammunition

12. According to the archaeological materials found on an island in the group, the islands of Truk were settled about 2 thousand years ago. Initially, only the local inhabitants settled on the coast and engaged in pottery, but about 1,500 years ago, this culture has disappeared, and the islanders moved to the interior and the mountainous slopes.

13. Inside the car wreck

14. The tank at the bottom of the lagoon

 15.

16. Porcelain dishes perfectly preserved, despite decades under the water:

18. Holds of sunken ships full of items from the Second World War.

 19. At the bottom of the lagoon

20. And on the surface of the Pacific Ocean life goes on ...