Truk (now Chuuk) in Micronesia was Japan's main forward naval base in the Pacific, coordinating all their major campaigns including the attack on Pearl Harbor. In February of 1944, the U.S. launched a major air assault on the base called "Operation Hailstone". The Japanese had spotted one of the reconnaissance planes several days before the attack and were able to move almost all their warships out, however over the course of two days, the U.S. sunk almost 60 ships in the shallow lagoon. These were mostly merchant ships and freighters, some in for repair but others still carrying equipment and materiel for Japan's war effort. There are tanks, planes, trucks, replacement parts, artillery shells, bullets, and even torpedoes still on board the ships, as well as numerous artifacts of a more personal nature such as china, shoes, medical kits, and lots of beer and sake bottles. There are still some human remains as well.

Special thanks to my dive buddy Ken for his awesome modeling - as well as Andrea who just always seemed to be in the right place.