
It was February 1944, when the US decided on a little payback for Pearl Harbor. Many called Truk the Japanese Pearl Harbor.

It was the home base for the Imperial Japanese Navy's combined fleet. The attack was called "Operation Hailstone" and it pretty much devastated the Japanese.
Although a couple of their "Super Battleships" left Truk the day prior. Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's Task Force 58 had five fleet carriers (Enterprise, Yorktown, Essex, Intrepid, and Bunker Hill) and four light carriers (Belleau Wood, Cabot, Monterey, and Cowpens), embarking more than 500 planes. Supporting the carriers was a large fleet of seven battleships, and numerous cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and other support ships.
Although a couple of their "Super Battleships" left Truk the day prior. Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's Task Force 58 had five fleet carriers (Enterprise, Yorktown, Essex, Intrepid, and Bunker Hill) and four light carriers (Belleau Wood, Cabot, Monterey, and Cowpens), embarking more than 500 planes. Supporting the carriers was a large fleet of seven battleships, and numerous cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and other support ships.

The U.S. attack involved a combination of airstrikes, surface ship actions, and submarine attacks over two days and appeared to take the Japanese completely by surprise. In total the attack sank three Japanese light cruisers (Agano, Katori, and Naka), six destroyers (Oite, Fumizuki, Maikaze, Hagio, Isogu, and Tachikaze), three other smaller warships, and 32 merchant ships. Some of the ships were destroyed in the anchorage and some in the area surrounding Truk lagoon. Many of the merchant ships were loaded with reinforcements and supplies for Japanese garrisons in the central Pacific area. Very few of the troops aboard the sunken ships survived and little of their cargos were recovered...


Here I'm checking out the cockpit of a Japanese Zero.
All in all, i had a good trip. Between my trip to the Ukraine and this trip, i've gotten a pretty good first hand feeling for WWII.
While swimming through the interior of one of the sunken ships, i came upon a bathroom with a small sink, mirror, and toilet. My main thought was that these were just average guys who were swept up in the massive current of world events. Maybe that will serve to broaden my mind to todays realities and the costs of war.

This is a beached whale that we tried desperately to rescue. My humanitarian work is never done... 
12 comments:
i like the beached whale! how'd you manage to get him on the boat?
harpoon, block and tackle, lots of grit and determination...
Thanks for the comments in my blog:)
And by the way.. I´m swedish;-)
//Christine!
Thanks for the comments on my blog- without it I wouldn't have known about this great article on Truk Lagoon! Incredible! I love WWII stories!
188 feet?! Incredible! The pictures are great, the skull one topping them all. Oh and I've never seen a beached whale taking a sun bath. Must be that global warming thing.
P.S. If wondering, I fell here following a series of forgettable events... and coming back!!
check out this chicks blog -it is a good one -thanks for the link-seriously it is great!
check out this chicks blog -it is a good one -thanks for the link-seriously it is great!
FYI All sailors drink! My Dad was in the Navy during Vietnam. EVERY photo of him & his friends shows someone holding a Bud. Like the blog, I think with your charity work you can promote the lesser acknowledged areas that need attention.
hey ted...meg here, you wrote a comment on my latest blog "with the harry potter thingy"...as im new here in this site i still dont know where to send you a thank you note so i just went to one of your blogs and here im leaving you this comment not actually about this particular blog topic but just to say "thank you" for it...and yup i clicked on hohee and i enjoyed reading your wife's articles...esp the topic about miserable people,hit me right on the spot haha...anyway, this is too long already...thanks again!
good luck to you and your family...
Hi Uncle Ted!
It's your niece, Alyssa. Just wanted to say hi! It's fun to see what you've been up to- you are so adventurous. Hope all is well with you guys. Love,
Alyssa
whoah long lol ive heard this many time but looks like fun love u dad
This whole blog intrigues me. It is the history, the scary diving, the great clear pictures and the whale humor. In 1944 I was 11 years old. I knew the war was going on but did not know very many details about the fighting. What I do remember was collecting tin cans and newspaper for the war effort, rationing of gas and some foods like sugar, planting victory gardens, singing a lot of patriotic songs in school and a having a lot of war movies that I did not want to watch. Thanks for the history lesson.
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