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00:28The
00:53Truck Lagoon
00:54Truck Lagoon in the Western Pacific Ocean
00:56is one of the most attractive places on Earth.
01:00Formed by a coral reef 140 miles long,
01:03its warm, shallow waters teem with marine life.
01:08Many visitors to Truck are divers,
01:11attracted by a seemingly unspoilt world of natural beauty and peace.
01:21But there is another reason why divers are attracted to Truck Lagoon,
01:26a reason from the pages of history.
01:30In February 1944, this Micronesian paradise was visited by the full force of war,
01:38an air attack by the United States and the occupying Japanese forces.
01:46It was a massive aerial assault, and its consequences can still be seen today.
01:52Below the water surface of the lagoon are the preserved remains of ships, aircraft, and other military material.
02:01It is one of the most remarkable collections of war wrecks anywhere.
02:05All of it the result of just two days of American bombardment.
02:13It was an operation carried out by aircraft launched not from land, but from the decks of warships.
02:20All of them a type of vessel first used in the Second World War, the aircraft carrier.
02:27It was warplanes launched from American carriers that created this underwater graveyard
02:34during the two days of Operation Hailstone.
02:57Truck is really quite a remarkable sight in so far as there are so many ships and planes,
03:06all of which are lying exactly as they were, unravaged by storms, protected by the coral reef that surrounds them.
03:14Everything is intact inside, and they all tell the story.
03:19So a qualified diver can visit the site, and he isn't walking around polished floors, looking at artefacts behind glass
03:28cases.
03:29So it's very poignant.
03:31It's almost as though you've visited a battleground the day after it happened.
03:37And in that respect, it's very moving.
03:40Hailstone, with nine carriers, was really the point where the American carriers were unleashed.
03:48to carry the war deep into the enemy territory.
03:51And indeed, you're talking about American operations, which are going to lengthen to three months at a time,
03:58which have been without precedence since the age of sail.
04:02In June 1942, the Pacific War still had three more years to run.
04:09But that month's American victory at Midway marked the end of the period of unchecked Japanese expansion.
04:16Just six months after the Japanese had first demonstrated the awesome power of the aircraft carrier at Pearl Harbor,
04:24the Americans proved that they too could reap the benefits of carrier-launched aircraft.
04:31The next American triumph at Guadalcanal only confirmed what the Japanese admiral Yamamoto and his colleagues must have already known.
04:41Despite the skill and courage of the Empire's fighting men,
04:45Japan, the industrial might of the United States was beginning to turn the tide.
04:51Japan was now fighting a defensive war.
04:57For Admiral Yamamoto, the architect of the Pearl Harbor attack,
05:02this news was no surprise.
05:06He had always had doubts about the Japanese policy of aggressive expansion.
05:11He felt that such a strategy could succeed without major setbacks,
05:15only for a period of six months.
05:18After that, an extended front line and the superior industrial base of the United States
05:25would begin to stretch Japanese resources beyond their limits.
05:29What he could not have also known was that American codebreakers
05:34were able to intercept and decipher secret Japanese communications.
05:39It would prove a priceless advantage to the United States.
05:47It can be argued that if the Japanese had been able to keep their communications secret,
05:53the outcome of the Pacific War may well have been different.
05:58American victory could have been a lot more costly in terms of materials and lives.
06:12What we do know is that the efforts of American codecrackers
06:16would have fatal consequences for Admiral Isoroko Yamamoto.
06:24In April 1943, American intelligence decoded a secret Japanese message
06:31sent from a military communications centre located in the Caroline Islands at Truk Lagoon.
06:39In 1943, these Paradise Islands were a massive and still growing military stronghold.
06:47Its superb natural harbours made it an ideal base for the warships of the Japanese fleet,
06:53while its 140-mile reef provided strong protection against potential invaders.
07:01Now a part of the Micronesian Federation,
07:05Truk had been administered by Japan prior to the Second World War.
07:09And as conflict loomed,
07:12the Japanese military recognised the strategic value of its Western Pacific location.
07:18By 1943, Truk had become a massive complex
07:22of naval harbours, airfields, fuel stores and communications centres.
07:31Truk was the main base for the Imperial Navy,
07:35referenced the Central and Southwest Pacific outside the home islands.
07:41It had full facilities for fleet anchorage,
07:43the necessary supporting airfields,
07:46and of course it had the facilities for docking
07:49and for reception of transports and auxiliaries.
07:55It was a base from which the Japanese intended to use their carrier and battle forces
08:01to support threatened sectors of the perimeter defence.
08:06It was a radio message sent from the Truk Lagoon base
08:09that sealed the fate of Admiral Yamamoto.
08:13The Americans could hardly believe their luck.
08:17The communication detailed Yamamoto's movements
08:21during an imminent inspection of Japanese positions in the Solomon Islands.
08:25It revealed that on the morning of April 18th,
08:29the Japanese admiral would fly into Balali Island.
08:34The Americans would be there to meet him.
08:38That morning, 16 P-38 fighters intercepted his aircraft,
08:44a Mitsubishi Betty bomber, and destroyed it.
08:47The architect of Japanese carrier warfare was dead.
08:54Yamamoto's death was certainly a great blow to the Japanese.
08:58It came at a time when the United States
09:01was slowly beginning to win the Pacific War.
09:05Two months previously, after bitter fighting,
09:08the Japanese had been ejected from the island of Guadalcanal.
09:13Later in the year,
09:14another fierce battle resulted
09:16in the American capture of the Gilbert Islands,
09:19and the front line was pushed back towards Japan.
09:24By now, the American leadership had realised
09:28that it was unnecessary to physically invade
09:31all of the Japanese positions
09:33scattered in the many small islands of the Pacific.
09:37The U.S. strategy was to blockade them,
09:40to cut them off from their overstretched supply lines,
09:44then mercilessly pushed the garrison into submission.
09:50One such position was the fortress at Truk Lagoon,
09:55which by now had earned the nickname
09:57the Gibraltar of the Pacific.
10:00If it could be destroyed,
10:02it would remove at a stroke
10:04a serious threat to the American forces
10:07now sweeping across the Pacific.
10:10Suspecting a full-blown invasion in January 1944,
10:15the Japanese reinforced the Truk Lagoon base
10:18with 14,000 troops.
10:21Many of these men would never leave the islands again.
10:26Truk Lagoon was protected from naval attack
10:30primarily by the fact that there are only a few navigable passages
10:34into the lagoon itself.
10:37Most of these were mined by the Japanese.
10:40They were further protected by suicide torpedo units,
10:44or chitin,
10:45on the islands of Fanamu, Yanagi and Udot.
10:50In addition to this, of course,
10:52were the shore batteries,
10:53the 5- and 6-inch guns
10:54located inside the tunnels and caves of the islands,
10:59and searchlight units
11:00and anti-arco-raft artillery
11:02positioned on the hills and mountains within the lagoon.
11:06Most importantly, though,
11:08of all these,
11:09was the fact that there were five,
11:11no less than five,
11:13airfields within Truk Lagoon.
11:15These were located on Parham,
11:19Eton,
11:19Dublin,
11:20and two on the main island of Moen.
11:23And these posed a very significant threat
11:26to any attack or proposed invasion of Truk Lagoon.
11:32Truk was selected for an aerial bombardment
11:35to take place in April 1944,
11:38but a reconnaissance mission over the islands on February 4th
11:42resulted in the attack date being brought forward.
11:46The spy flight revealed a massive naval presence at the base.
11:52Twenty destroyers,
11:53ten cruisers,
11:55twelve submarines,
11:56and two aircraft carriers were identified,
11:59along with dozens of smaller warships and merchant vessels.
12:05When the American Admiral Nimitz received the news,
12:08he decided to attack at once.
12:10He appointed Admiral Raymond Spruance
12:14to lead a carrier-based task force.
12:17Its mission,
12:18to destroy the Truk Lagoon base.
12:21In early February 1944,
12:25Admiral Cogor and his combined fleet were in Truk Lagoon,
12:29and he was awaiting aircraft replacements.
12:33He had nine carriers in Truk Lagoon at the time,
12:36but they were operating at substantially lower levels
12:40because of the aircraft lost in recent action in Reboil.
12:42On the 14th of February,
12:45the last of three ships arrived to offload its cargo
12:49of 30-plus planes destined for the carriers.
12:53Two ships before had offloaded theirs,
12:55and prior to this too there had been some really bad weather,
12:58causing congestion on the airfield itself.
13:01So the airfield at this time was wingtip to wingtip,
13:05chock-a-block with assembled and half-assembled planes,
13:08which should have been then flown straight on
13:12to the carriers within the lagoon.
13:15By February 16th,
13:17Admiral Spruance's force
13:19was assembled 94 miles east-northeast of its target.
13:24An armada of 53 warships,
13:27including no less than nine aircraft carriers.
13:31These included the Enterprise,
13:33the Intrepid,
13:35the Essex,
13:35and the Yorktown.
13:37The next day,
13:40wave after wave of aircraft
13:42from these mighty vessels
13:43took off for Truk.
13:45Operation Hailstone,
13:50the attack on Truk,
13:5217th-18th of February,
13:54was in effect
13:55the largest carrier operation
13:57carried out up to that date.
14:00It involved nine carriers,
14:02five fleet and four light fleet,
14:04thus supporting warships,
14:06battleships, cruisers,
14:07and destroyers.
14:09And roughly 200,000 tons of shipping
14:11were sunk in one day.
14:13Depending on sources,
14:15somewhere between 32 and 35 ships
14:17were sunk in that one day.
14:20This was really without any precedence.
14:23And in scale of destruction,
14:26it was probably the most destructive single day.
14:31Reference shipping
14:34this century,
14:36and perhaps in real time.
14:37It was an awesome attack
14:39from the very beginning.
14:41At 4.40 on the morning of February 17th,
14:45the first wave of American aircraft
14:47took to the air,
14:4970 planes in all,
14:51from five of the carriers.
14:53The aircraft deployed
14:55were amongst the best known
14:57of the Pacific War.
14:58They included Hellcat fighters
15:00and Avenger torpedo bombers,
15:04as well as dauntless dive bombers.
15:07As soon as they arrived
15:09in the skies over truck,
15:11their pilots and gunners
15:12set about their work,
15:14with Japanese aircraft
15:15bearing the brunt
15:16of the initial assault.
15:18Taken by surprise,
15:20the Japanese pilots
15:21struggled to get their planes
15:23into the air.
15:25Many were destroyed
15:26on the ground,
15:27as the American forces
15:28pursued their aim
15:30of total air superiority.
15:32Despite the efforts
15:34of the anti-aircraft gunners
15:35and the undoubted skills
15:37of those pilots
15:38who were able to take off,
15:40the morning of February 17th
15:42saw the destruction
15:44of dozens of Japanese warplanes.
15:47Eaton Island
15:48was at the time so congested.
15:51They were sending up
15:52even technicians,
15:54just aircraft technicians
15:55with orders to just
15:56get the aircraft to the north.
15:58They were so valuable
15:59to the Japanese
15:59and they were just being
16:01shut down time after time.
16:03One pilot,
16:04one slugged McWerter,
16:06was even quoted as saying
16:07that they fought
16:08as though they were in a daze
16:09because they had no idea
16:11the attack was coming.
16:13The first morning
16:14also saw four waves of attacks
16:17on the many ships
16:18based at Trapp.
16:20One of these
16:21was a 3,800-tonne passenger freighter,
16:25the Nippo Maru,
16:26berthed in the anchorage
16:28east of the island of Eaton.
16:30Struck by three 500-pound bombs,
16:33it sank in the early hours
16:35of the attack.
16:37In doing so,
16:39it became one of the first vessels
16:41to come to rest
16:42in the amazing maritime graveyard
16:44of Truck Lagoon.
16:48She was not
16:49an especially remarkable ship.
16:52At the time of her sinking,
16:53the Nippo Maru
16:55was being used
16:56as a humble water carrier.
16:58But water
16:59was not all she was carrying
17:01when Operation Hailstone began.
17:04In her number four hold
17:06can still be seen
17:08her military cargo,
17:10three 47-millimeter
17:11anti-tank guns.
17:14These artillery pieces
17:16have now survived
17:17for over five decades
17:19underwater,
17:20yet their features
17:21are clear.
17:24Equally well preserved
17:25is this Type 95 tank.
17:29Located on the ship's main deck,
17:31this light-armored vehicle
17:33was just one of thousands
17:35of its type
17:35produced by the Japanese
17:37industrial machine.
17:39Very few
17:40have come to rest
17:41in a location
17:42as unique as this.
17:45The Nippo Maru
17:46is also a valuable wreck
17:48because of the state
17:49of preservation
17:50of the ship itself.
17:52This
17:53is the area
17:54of the bridge.
17:57The distinct shape
17:58of the engine telegraph
17:59can be clearly seen,
18:01although the diver
18:02must also share the bridge
18:04with the many exotic fish
18:06of this tropical lagoon.
18:09As he stood here
18:11on February 17th, 1944,
18:14the Nippo Maru's master
18:16must have realized
18:17his fate
18:18as the American planes
18:20carried out their assault.
18:22That day,
18:23he was not the only one.
18:26The Japanese,
18:28when they went to war,
18:29anticipated losses
18:30of roughly 75,000 tons
18:34a month.
18:37By the third quarter of 1943,
18:40their losses were running
18:41at the prohibitive level.
18:44Twice that.
18:45In February 1944,
18:48the Americans served notice
18:49that the losses
18:50are going to rise
18:51still more so.
18:53And from this time,
18:55the Japanese shipping losses
18:57are just disastrous.
19:01Throughout the morning
19:02and into the afternoon,
19:03the American attack
19:05continued unabated.
19:08As the hours passed,
19:10more and more Japanese aircraft
19:12were either shot down,
19:14destroyed on the ground,
19:15or even both.
19:17In one incident,
19:19a Japanese Zero fighter
19:20was hit by a fighter
19:22from the Yorktown.
19:23It crashed into a row
19:25of torpedo bombers,
19:26destroying three of them,
19:28before hitting
19:29a G4M Mitsubishi bomber.
19:33This was an aircraft
19:34known as the Betty,
19:36as part of the American practice
19:38of giving female nicknames
19:40to Japanese bombers.
19:42By contrast,
19:44fighters were given male names.
19:47Oscar and Frank
19:48were two examples.
19:51Ordinarily,
19:52the famous Mitsubishi Zero fighter
19:54became known
19:55as the Zeke.
20:00One of the Betty bombers
20:02can still be seen
20:03in the graveyard waters
20:04of Truck.
20:07Situated to the southwest
20:08of Eton Island,
20:09it is not certain
20:11how this aircraft
20:12met its doom,
20:13but we can be sure
20:14that this aircraft
20:16suffered a mighty impact
20:17with the surface
20:18of the water.
20:21This is the main body
20:23of the bomber.
20:26It was in an aircraft
20:28of this type
20:28that Admiral Yamamoto
20:30met his death.
20:32But these are not
20:33the remains
20:34of the complete aircraft.
20:36Her propellers
20:37are over 300 feet away,
20:40together with the engines
20:41that drove them,
20:43torn from the body
20:44of the plane
20:44at the moment of impact.
20:46The fate of her crew
20:48can only be imagined.
20:52The loss of a bomber
20:54such as this
20:55would hardly have been noticed
20:56as Operation Hailstone
20:58continued on February 17, 1944.
21:02The smell of death
21:03and destruction
21:04was everywhere.
21:06Fire and smoke
21:08filled the Pacific air.
21:10Hundreds of bodies
21:11were washed up
21:12on the shore,
21:13and survivors
21:14recall a hellish scene
21:16of chaos and panic.
21:18It was hardly surprising.
21:21With the destruction
21:22of more and more
21:23Japanese aircraft,
21:24the American attackers
21:26could concentrate
21:27their fire
21:28on ground
21:28and naval targets.
21:30With the Avenger
21:32torpedo bombers
21:33proving especially effective.
21:36The air superiority
21:38gained by the Americans
21:39could be directly
21:41attributable to radar.
21:43The Japanese
21:44didn't have it,
21:45so they didn't see
21:47or they knew nothing
21:48of the attack
21:48coming in
21:49until the bombs
21:51were falling around them.
21:52And by that time,
21:52the Japanese pilots,
21:55of course,
21:55were scrambling
21:56in their boats,
21:57sometimes paddling
21:58in canoes
21:58across the water
22:00to get to their airfield.
22:01In one case,
22:02the second-in-command
22:02of Eton Airfield
22:04was actually going
22:05from pilot to pilot
22:06as he was arriving
22:07and the airfield
22:08was being straight
22:08and was beating them up,
22:10was just kicking
22:11and punching the pilots
22:12in sheer frustration.
22:14Once the airfields
22:15were removed
22:16from the situation,
22:17it was a simple matter
22:18of concentrating
22:19on the shipping.
22:20One vessel
22:21that fell victim
22:22to their deadly firepower
22:24was the Hokimaru,
22:26another passenger freighter
22:28sunk on the first day
22:29of the operation.
22:31Another ship
22:32that came to rest
22:33in the underwater graveyard
22:35of Truck Lagoon.
22:39Remarkably,
22:40the Hokimaru
22:41was not built in Japan.
22:43It was built in Scotland
22:45in 1921
22:46at one of the great shipyards
22:48of the river Clyde.
22:50It was originally commissioned
22:52by a steaming company
22:53in New Zealand
22:54and known by the Maori name
22:57Hauraki.
22:58But when the ship
23:00was captured
23:00by the Japanese
23:01in July 1942,
23:03she was renamed
23:04the Hokimaru.
23:08Like many other wrecks
23:09of the lagoon,
23:10the Hokimaru
23:11still contains mundane items
23:13such as crockery,
23:15bottles and oil drums.
23:19In its number five hold,
23:21there are surviving artifacts
23:22that are simply stunning.
23:26Here can be found
23:29a remarkable collection
23:30of vehicles.
23:32Tractors,
23:33lorries,
23:35bulldozers,
23:36all clearly recognizable.
23:40In some cases,
23:41it is possible
23:42for the diver
23:43to sit down
23:44in the driving seat
23:45and take hold
23:46of the steering wheel.
23:49But these
23:50are motor vehicles
23:51whose engines
23:52have been silent
23:53for over half a century.
23:55One hundred feet
23:57below the surface,
23:58they sit in one
23:59of the world's
24:00most eerie car parks.
24:06The Hokimaru
24:07was hit
24:08during the afternoon
24:09of February 17th,
24:11the first
24:12of the two days
24:13of Operation Hailstone.
24:15Although the operation
24:16was proving devastating
24:18by that time,
24:19American commanders
24:20already knew
24:21that one of the main objects
24:23of their mission
24:24had eluded them.
24:25The big Japanese warships
24:27were nowhere to be seen.
24:33On the 4th of February,
24:35the US made an overflight
24:37of two photoreconnaissance planes.
24:40These spotted
24:41and photographed
24:42the combined fleet
24:43at anchor
24:44within the lagoon.
24:45And it was
24:46the processing
24:48of these images
24:49that prompted
24:49Chester Nimitz
24:50to launch
24:51Operation Hailstone
24:52once he knew
24:53where the fleet was.
24:55However,
24:56Admiral Koga
24:56correctly deducing
24:58that the photoreconnaissance planes
25:00were the prelude
25:01to an attack
25:02on his fleet
25:02was faced
25:04with a decision.
25:04He could either
25:06remain at Truck Lagoon
25:08for a number of days
25:10until his aircraft
25:11replacements came
25:12and his fleet
25:12could be brought
25:13back up to strength
25:13or he could withdraw
25:15his weakened fleet
25:16to a position
25:16unknown to the Americans.
25:18And this is what he did.
25:20It was a wise move.
25:23Although most
25:24of the large warships
25:25escaped destruction,
25:27those that did remain
25:28were prime targets
25:29for the American aircraft.
25:31This is the wreck
25:33of the destroyer
25:34Fumizuki,
25:35fatally damaged
25:36by a time-delayed
25:37500-pound bomb
25:39late on the first day
25:40of Operation Hailstone.
25:43She would eventually
25:44come to rest here
25:46on the second day
25:47of the attack.
25:48Against such a determined enemy,
25:51she had no chance.
25:54She had only arrived
25:55at Truck 11 days before
25:57and when the American attack
25:59began,
26:01she was at anchor
26:01under repair.
26:04Her engines
26:05were not operational.
26:07Neither were the majority
26:08of the ship's guns.
26:10As the attack began,
26:12the Fumizuki's crew
26:13made a desperate attempt
26:15to ready her for sea.
26:17Woefully lacking in power
26:19and armament,
26:20she succeeded
26:21in leaving her anchorage,
26:22but she would not succeed
26:24in escaping
26:25from Truck Lagoon.
26:27The explosive power
26:28of the 500-pound bomb
26:30fatally damaged her hull
26:32and her fate was sealed.
26:35Though her crew
26:37were rescued,
26:38the Fumizuki's career
26:39as a warship ended
26:40with her eventual sinking
26:42on February 18, 1944.
26:46She is one of the very few
26:49dedicated military ships
26:50in the graveyard.
26:53Admiral Koga's decisive response
26:56to the American spy fight
26:57ensured that it was ships
27:00built for merchant duties
27:02that suffered most
27:03during Operation Hailstone.
27:08The absence of the great
27:10Japanese warships
27:11from the Truck Base
27:12was an undeniable disappointment
27:14for the American commanders.
27:16But despite this,
27:18the operation continued
27:19into a second day,
27:21one that would prove
27:22even more one-sided
27:24than the first.
27:29At the beginning
27:30of February 18,
27:31the Japanese ability
27:33to fight in the air
27:34was already drastically reduced.
27:37By dusk,
27:38it was almost non-existent.
27:41At six o'clock,
27:42there was just one
27:43Japanese fighter
27:45still in action,
27:46and the Americans
27:47had taken full advantage
27:49of this complete dominance
27:51of the skies over truck.
27:56This is what remains
27:58of the Gosai Marum,
27:59a freighter that fell victim
28:01to the power
28:02of the American torpedo bomber
28:04on the second day
28:05of the attack.
28:07The destruction
28:08is obvious.
28:10The pilot of the Avenger
28:12that attacked her
28:13reported a huge explosion
28:15when his deadly payload
28:17struck its target.
28:19The ship then caught fire
28:20before sinking quickly
28:22to the bottom.
28:23She is now just one
28:25of the 40 wrecks
28:26so far discovered
28:27in the waters
28:28of Truck Lagoon.
28:30There is nothing
28:31to compare
28:31with the sheer scale
28:33of the operation
28:35that was Operation Hailstone
28:37and the ships
28:39that are left
28:39within the lagoon
28:40over 80 plus
28:41and they're still being found
28:42to this day.
28:45There are other sites
28:46around the world
28:47like the wrecks
28:48of Scapa Flow,
28:49the remains
28:49of an entire German
28:51battle fleet
28:51from the First World War.
28:52However,
28:53the artifacts
28:53are largely missing.
28:54They've just been removed
28:55and bit by bit
28:57the ships have been stripped
28:59and there's nothing
29:00really to see
29:01other than the hull
29:02and the guns
29:03of the ships themselves.
29:05There is nothing
29:06like truck.
29:08At various stages
29:10in both the European
29:11and the Japanese war
29:13there were major
29:14shipping or warship
29:16losses that were
29:16concentrated
29:17but those
29:18tended to be cleared.
29:19The raids
29:20on Honshu,
29:22Hokkaido
29:23in the summer
29:24of 1945
29:25by the American carriers
29:26yes,
29:27these resulted
29:27in major losses
29:28but nothing
29:29on the scale
29:30of truck
29:32and nothing
29:34that concentrated
29:35as truck.
29:37Another of the
29:39truck shipwrecks
29:40is this
29:415,800 ton cargo ship.
29:44In contrast
29:45to the
29:46Gosai Maru
29:46this vessel
29:48took a lot more sinking.
29:50This
29:51was once
29:52the San Francisco
29:53Maru.
29:55Reports
29:56suggest
29:56that on day
29:57one of Operation
29:59Hailstone
29:59she was hit
30:00several times,
30:02caught fire
30:02but remained
30:03seaworthy.
30:05On the second
30:06day
30:06she was attacked
30:07again
30:08but it took
30:09six direct hits
30:10with 500 pound bombs
30:12to finally finish
30:13her off.
30:15Today
30:16the San Francisco
30:18Maru
30:18is one of the most
30:20visited sites
30:20in the Truck Lagoon
30:22Graveyard.
30:23As with many
30:25of the other wrecks
30:26it is the vehicles
30:27that remain
30:28in her holds
30:28that attract
30:29divers to the
30:30San Francisco
30:31Maru.
30:33These Type 95
30:34tanks
30:35are amongst
30:36the best
30:36their track
30:38armour and guns
30:39still clearly defined
30:40after decades
30:41submerged in the water.
30:44It is not known
30:45whether these
30:46military vehicles
30:47ever fired
30:48their 37mm
30:49main guns
30:50in anger.
30:52To see them
30:54in this serene
30:55underwater environment
30:57of colour
30:57and life
30:58it is difficult
30:59to fully comprehend
31:00the violence
31:01of war
31:02that brought
31:03them to the
31:03seabed.
31:07Of course
31:08not all
31:09of the material
31:10to be found
31:11in the waters
31:11of truck
31:12is so instantly
31:13recognisable.
31:15The years
31:16have taken
31:17their toll
31:17on much
31:18wreck material.
31:20This
31:21is one
31:22of the holds
31:22of the
31:23Amagisan Maru
31:24a passenger
31:25ship
31:25torpedoed
31:26in the early
31:27hours of the
31:27operation.
31:29Here
31:30lies what
31:31was once
31:31the official
31:32car of a
31:33Japanese
31:33army officer.
31:35Compared
31:36to the vehicles
31:37still on the
31:37Hokimaru
31:38it is almost
31:39a disappointment.
31:41everywhere
31:42at truck
31:43there is
31:44further
31:44clear evidence
31:45of destruction
31:46and not
31:47only
31:48of the
31:48materials
31:49of war.
31:51Beneath
31:52the water
31:53surface
31:53the human
31:54cost of
31:55the operation
31:56can still
31:56be dramatically
31:57seen.
31:59We may
32:00never know
32:00the full
32:01death toll
32:01of Operation
32:02Hailstone
32:03but it
32:04ran into
32:04several
32:05thousands.
32:06A high
32:07casualty
32:08figure was
32:08inevitable.
32:10The firepower
32:11unleashed on
32:12this small
32:13Pacific lagoon
32:14was 30
32:15times that
32:16which had
32:17been used
32:17by the
32:17Japanese
32:18at Pearl
32:19Harbour.
32:21Just two
32:22years after
32:23that momentous
32:24attack
32:24the pioneers
32:25of aircraft
32:26carrier warfare
32:27were feeling
32:28the full
32:29force of it
32:29themselves.
32:32Visitors
32:33to truck
32:33are often
32:34affected by
32:35the sheer
32:35number of
32:36surviving
32:36objects
32:37which lie
32:38silent
32:39within the
32:39shipwrecks.
32:41These
32:42are the
32:42objects of
32:43everyday life
32:44on board
32:44ship.
32:45Crockery
32:46bottles
32:49lanterns
32:50For many
32:52it is these
32:53ordinary
32:53practical
32:54objects
32:55that bring
32:56home the
32:56human cost
32:57of Operation
32:58Hailstone.
33:00others
33:01are more
33:02fascinated by
33:03the military
33:03remains of
33:04the American
33:05assault.
33:07Although
33:07often covered
33:08with coral
33:08the power
33:10of big
33:10Japanese
33:11naval guns
33:12such as
33:12these can
33:13easily be
33:14imagined.
33:15Ammunition
33:16can also be
33:17seen everywhere
33:18sometimes
33:19still in its
33:20original storage
33:21crates.
33:24These rounds
33:25still potentially
33:27dangerous to
33:27the diver
33:28can be found
33:29on the
33:30Shinkoku
33:30Maru
33:31a 10,000
33:32ton tanker
33:33which also
33:34met its end
33:35on the
33:35second day
33:36of the
33:36attack.
33:37One more
33:38victim of
33:39American
33:39torpedoes.
33:43The
33:43Shinkoku
33:44Maru
33:44contains
33:45some of
33:46the most
33:46well-preserved
33:47locations in
33:48the whole
33:49of the
33:49lagoon.
33:51Much of
33:51the wreck
33:52can be
33:52explored
33:53with ease.
33:53this is
33:56the
33:56accommodation
33:56area of
33:57the ship's
33:58officers.
33:59The
34:00bathroom
34:00used by
34:01those
34:01officers
34:02is
34:02unmistakable.
34:04Nearby
34:05the
34:06officers'
34:07toilet
34:07has also
34:08survived
34:08intact.
34:10Most
34:10remarkable
34:10of all
34:11the
34:12ship's
34:12operating
34:13theatre
34:13has also
34:14survived.
34:16The
34:17table
34:17where
34:17surgery
34:18was
34:18carried
34:18out
34:19is
34:19still
34:19in
34:19place
34:20with
34:21medicine
34:21bottles
34:22placed
34:23on
34:23it
34:23by
34:23divers
34:24in
34:24more
34:24recent
34:25times.
34:28Of
34:29all the
34:29physical
34:30reminders
34:30of
34:31Operation
34:31Hailstone
34:32to be
34:32found
34:32in
34:33the
34:33lagoon,
34:34it
34:34is
34:34the
34:34interior
34:35of
34:35this
34:36ship
34:36that
34:37most
34:37reminds
34:37the
34:38visitor
34:38that
34:39war
34:39is
34:40ultimately
34:40a
34:41human
34:42affair.
34:44One
34:44submarine
34:45was
34:46taking
34:46on
34:47stores
34:47and
34:48this
34:49was
34:49a
34:49later
34:49raid
34:50in
34:50April
34:501944
34:51and
34:52it
34:52submerged
34:53to
34:53escape
34:53the
34:54bombers
34:54however
34:55there
34:55was
34:55a
34:56fault
34:56and
34:57it
34:58didn't
34:58surface
34:58afterwards
34:59and
35:00even
35:00a
35:00week
35:00later
35:01the
35:02divers
35:02could
35:02go
35:02down
35:03and
35:03they
35:03could
35:03hear
35:03tapping
35:04from
35:05Japanese
35:06sailors
35:06trapped
35:07on
35:07the
35:07ship
35:07but
35:08they
35:08couldn't
35:09reach
35:09them
35:09they
35:09didn't
35:10have
35:10the
35:10equipment
35:10to
35:11rescue
35:12them
35:12it
35:12wasn't
35:12bombed
35:13it
35:14just
35:14submerged
35:14to
35:14escape
35:15the
35:15bombers
35:15and
35:17was
35:18lost
35:18and
35:18they
35:19were
35:19left
35:19in
35:20their
35:20own
35:20tomb
35:20and
35:21only
35:21recently
35:21were
35:22they
35:22able
35:22to
35:23get
35:24the
35:24Japanese
35:24authorities
35:25to
35:25rescue
35:26the
35:26bodies
35:26and
35:27perform
35:27the
35:28proper
35:28shinto
35:28burials
35:29for the
35:30sailors
35:31in
35:3220th
35:32century
35:33warfare
35:33it
35:34was
35:35machines
35:35as much
35:36as
35:36soldiers
35:36that
35:37influenced
35:37the
35:38outcome
35:38of
35:38military
35:39engagement
35:40it
35:41was
35:41the
35:41planes
35:42of
35:42the
35:42American
35:42aircraft
35:43carriers
35:44that
35:44created
35:45this
35:45amazing
35:46underwater
35:46tomb
35:47and
35:48their
35:48offensive
35:49power
35:49can be
35:50clearly
35:50seen
35:51on what
35:51is
35:51perhaps
35:52the
35:53finest
35:53of all
35:54the
35:54shipwrecks
35:55of
35:55truck
35:55lagoon
35:56that
35:57of the
35:58Fujikawa
35:59Maru
36:01an underwater
36:02plaque
36:03marks the
36:04site of
36:04this
36:047,000 ton
36:06freighter
36:06constructed in
36:08japan just
36:09japan just
36:09before the
36:09outbreak of
36:10the second
36:10world war
36:13at the
36:13time of
36:14operation
36:14hailstone
36:15she had
36:16just unloaded
36:1730 torpedo
36:18bombers
36:19known to the
36:20americans as
36:21jills
36:23ironically
36:23she would
36:25herself
36:25fall victim
36:26to the
36:26devastating
36:27power of
36:28the torpedo
36:30at an
36:31undetermined
36:32moment
36:32during the
36:33attack
36:33she was
36:34hit by
36:35an avenger
36:35torpedo
36:36and sank
36:37and although
36:38she had
36:39unloaded
36:39her cargo
36:40of bombers
36:41much military
36:42material
36:43was still
36:43on board
36:45significantly
36:46four examples
36:48of one of the
36:49most famous
36:50of all
36:50japanese
36:51fighter planes
36:52were still
36:52on board
36:53they can
36:54still be
36:55seen
36:55today
37:00these
37:00are the
37:01mitsubishi
37:02a6m
37:03fighters
37:04the zero
37:05fighters
37:06or zeeks
37:07they remain
37:09in the number
37:09two hold
37:10of the
37:10fujikawa
37:11maru
37:11the zero
37:13fighters
37:13were amongst
37:14the most
37:15famous aircraft
37:16of world
37:16war ii
37:17famous
37:18and feared
37:21first used
37:22in action
37:23in china
37:23in 1940
37:24they were
37:25a match
37:26for any
37:26western
37:27fighter
37:27of the
37:28time
37:28in maneuverability
37:30and range
37:31it was
37:32for a time
37:34unrivaled
37:35throughout 42
37:36the zero
37:37was a superior
37:38though her
37:39superiority
37:40was coming
37:41to an end
37:42particularly
37:42of course
37:43in the southwest
37:43pacific
37:44the americans
37:45have numbers
37:46and of course
37:46they have
37:46shore-based
37:47aircraft
37:47as well
37:48and generally
37:49speaking
37:49shore-based
37:50aircraft
37:50are superior
37:50to carrier-based
37:52aircraft
37:54very quickly
37:55after 42
37:56the zero
37:56various weaknesses
37:58began to be
37:59found out
37:59and as certain
38:01steps were
38:02taken to
38:02correct those
38:03weaknesses
38:03the performance
38:04of the fighter
38:05actually
38:07deteriorates
38:08you see
38:09they don't have
38:10self-seeding
38:11tanks
38:12there's lack
38:13of armor
38:13now once you
38:14put armor
38:15and self-seeding
38:16devices
38:16into the aircraft
38:18then its
38:19performance
38:20is degraded
38:21and by that
38:22stage
38:22new american
38:23aircraft
38:24are coming
38:24into service
38:27and they
38:28are
38:28streets
38:29ahead
38:31and there's
38:32nothing to
38:32compare with
38:33anything like
38:34the hellcat
38:34and the corsair
38:35war
38:37but even in the
38:37final stages
38:38of the war
38:39there was still
38:40a role for
38:41aircraft like
38:42these
38:44many were
38:45adapted for use
38:46for suicide
38:47missions by
38:48kamikaze
38:49pilots
38:49a total
38:51of 11,000
38:52were eventually
38:53built
38:53none survive
38:55in such a
38:56remarkable
38:57setting
38:58many divers
39:00cannot resist
39:00the chance
39:01to sit in the
39:02cockpit
39:02of one of those
39:03most famous
39:04aircraft of the
39:05second world war
39:11operation
39:12hailstone
39:13was an
39:14unqualified
39:14success
39:15for the
39:15american
39:16forces
39:16once again
39:18the power
39:19of the
39:19aircraft carrier
39:20had been
39:21proved
39:21in two days
39:23of action
39:24totaling
39:25nine waves
39:26of attack
39:26the american
39:28carrier based
39:28aircraft
39:29had created
39:30a scene
39:31of devastation
39:32on the islands
39:32and waters
39:33of the truck
39:34lagoon
39:3545 ships
39:37were sunk
39:37as many
39:39as 275
39:40aircraft
39:41were destroyed
39:43airfields
39:44anchorages
39:45and all
39:46other military
39:47installations
39:48were badly
39:48damaged
39:50thousands
39:51of men
39:51were dead
40:00in contrast
40:01in contrast
40:02to these
40:02japanese
40:02casualty
40:03figures
40:04american
40:05losses
40:05totaled
40:06just
40:0625
40:07aircraft
40:08with
40:0829
40:09crew
40:09missing
40:10in action
40:10in addition
40:12a torpedo
40:14bomber raid
40:15on the
40:15american
40:15carrier
40:16intrepid
40:17led to
40:18the deaths
40:18of eleven
40:19sailors
40:20despite this
40:21the operation
40:23was a military
40:23success
40:27even though
40:28the japanese
40:28carriers
40:29had been able
40:30to escape
40:30to sea
40:31the truck
40:32lagoon base
40:33had been
40:33neutralized
40:34it did not
40:35need to be
40:36invaded
40:38as the american
40:39fleets moved
40:40on towards
40:40the philippines
40:41they knew
40:43that this
40:44once great
40:44military base
40:45would not be
40:46able to
40:47trouble them
40:47again
40:49of course
40:50operation
40:51hailstone
40:52fundamentally
40:53failed
40:53to achieve
40:55what it
40:55set out
40:56to achieve
40:56which was
40:57to destroy
40:57the combined
40:58fleet
40:58they missed
40:59the fleet
40:59but as an
41:01operation
41:01yes it was
41:02a very
41:03successful
41:03operation
41:04in so far
41:04as in
41:06just two
41:06days
41:07they
41:08effectively
41:08knocked out
41:09five airfields
41:10for a period
41:11of time
41:12they sank
41:1345 ships
41:14and damaged
41:14a further
41:1527
41:15sending
41:16some 220,000
41:18nearly a quarter
41:19of a million
41:20tons to the
41:20bottom
41:21which remained
41:22throughout the
41:23war a two
41:23day record
41:24for shipping
41:25sent to the
41:26bottom
41:26there is
41:28nothing that
41:28begins to
41:29compare to
41:30truck
41:30in terms
41:31of single
41:32day
41:33strikes
41:33the losses
41:35were doubly
41:35significant
41:36because the
41:37losses were
41:38concentrated
41:38amongst
41:39naval
41:39auxiliaries
41:40and military
41:41transport
41:41and these
41:43were taken
41:43from Japanese
41:44shipping resources
41:45and tended
41:46to be the
41:47best ships
41:48that were
41:49available to
41:49the Japanese
41:50therefore their
41:51loss was
41:52double in the
41:53sense that they
41:53had to be
41:54replaced
41:54and they had
41:55to be replaced
41:56very often by
41:57more than one
41:57lesser ships
41:59that were then
41:59currently available
42:00in terms of
42:03the auguries
42:05for the future
42:05the whole point
42:07was that
42:08this operation
42:09showed that
42:10an American
42:11task force
42:12could fight
42:14its way
42:15into enemy
42:16waters
42:17take the fight
42:18of the enemy
42:19overwhelm
42:20the enemy
42:21at any
42:21particular point
42:22and then
42:23retire
42:24virtually
42:25without loss
42:27for the
42:28survivors
42:28of Operation
42:29Hailstone
42:30a terrible
42:3118 months
42:32now loomed
42:33the devastated
42:35islands
42:36were now
42:36cut off
42:37from virtually
42:38all supplies
42:40only the
42:41occasional
42:42submarine
42:43could risk
42:43the journey
42:44to truck
42:45for the
42:46Japanese
42:46and the
42:48native
42:48Micronesians
42:49the threat
42:50of starvation
42:51was real
42:53there is
42:54evidence
42:55that the
42:56Japanese
42:56turned to
42:57cannibalism
42:58on at least
42:58one occasion
43:01the islands
43:02also remained
43:03a target
43:04for the
43:04Americans
43:05quite literally
43:05adding insult
43:08to injury
43:08the Americans
43:10used the
43:10unprotected
43:11base
43:12as target
43:13practice
43:13for their
43:13heavy bombers
43:14B-29s
43:17and B-24s
43:18were amongst
43:19the planes
43:20used
43:20truck lagoon
43:22was a sitting
43:23target
43:23and the
43:25outcome
43:25of the
43:25war
43:26was
43:26now
43:27inevitable
43:29after
43:30Operation
43:31Hailstone
43:31the hardship
43:32endured
43:32by the
43:33locals
43:33was
43:34exacerbated
43:35by the
43:35fact
43:35that
43:36with
43:3630,000
43:37troops
43:37where the
43:38breadfruit
43:38season normally
43:40lasted
43:41four to five
43:41months
43:42it was
43:43gone now
43:43in a month
43:44all the
43:44food was
43:45given
43:45to the
43:46Japanese
43:46soldiers
43:47none of
43:48it was
43:48left
43:48for the
43:49locals
43:49the locals
43:50were
43:51because it
43:51was a
43:52sensitive
43:53naval base
43:53were forbidden
43:55by law
43:55to go out
43:56and fish
43:56and so it
43:58was that
43:58certainly in
43:59Operation
43:59Hailstone
44:00some of the
44:01adults
44:01the local
44:02adults
44:03risked
44:03being shot
44:04by the
44:05Japanese
44:05and also
44:06being strafed
44:06by the
44:07American soldiers
44:08paddling out
44:09with their
44:09canoes
44:10into the
44:10lagoon
44:11itself
44:11to pick
44:11up the
44:12dead fish
44:12that were
44:13floating to
44:13the surface
44:13following the
44:14explosions
44:15of these
44:15500,000
44:16bombs
44:17later on
44:18certainly by
44:19April 1944
44:20just after the
44:21Americans had
44:22napalmed the
44:23food stores
44:24in Truck
44:24Lagoon
44:25the hardship
44:26was increased
44:27and by now
44:29the Japanese
44:29were forcing
44:30the locals
44:30at gunpoint
44:31in some
44:32cases
44:32to go out
44:33into the
44:34lagoon
44:34whilst the
44:35attacks were
44:35taking place
44:36to pick up
44:37the dead fish
44:38that were
44:38floating to
44:39the surface
44:39prior to
44:40their sinking
44:40all these
44:42fish were
44:42of course
44:43then handed
44:43over to
44:44the troops
44:45who were
44:45desperately
44:46low on
44:46food
44:47as it
44:48was
44:48that
44:48supplies
44:49couldn't
44:49get
44:49through
44:49the
44:50front line
44:51had
44:51had
44:51passed
44:52truck
44:52lagoon
44:53so they
44:53were
44:53left
44:54to
44:54wither
44:54on the
44:55vine
44:56after the
44:57attack
44:57on
44:58truck
44:58the
44:59American
44:59forces
45:00continued
45:01their
45:01advance
45:01across
45:02the
45:02Pacific
45:03in
45:04June
45:041944
45:06the
45:07battle
45:07of the
45:07Philippine
45:08Sea
45:08marked
45:09the
45:09end
45:09of
45:09Japan's
45:10ability
45:10to fight
45:11effective
45:11carrier
45:12warfare
45:13in the
45:14final year
45:15of the
45:15war
45:16the
45:16imperial
45:17forces
45:17resorted
45:18to
45:18increasingly
45:19desperate
45:19tactics
45:20such as
45:21kamikaze
45:22suicide
45:22flights
45:23but not
45:24even the
45:25courage
45:25of these
45:26young
45:26men
45:26could
45:27prevent
45:27the
45:28Japanese
45:28defeat
45:29in
45:30in
45:31August
45:311945
45:33following
45:34the
45:34atomic
45:34bombing
45:35of
45:35Hiroshima
45:36and
45:37Nagasaki
45:37the
45:38Pacific
45:39war
45:39came
45:40to
45:40an
45:40end
45:45the
45:45following
45:46month
45:46the
45:47USS
45:48Portland
45:48arrived
45:49at
45:49truck
45:50to
45:50receive
45:51the
45:51surrender
45:51of
45:52those
45:52forces
45:53that
45:53remained
45:53there
45:54the
45:55Japanese
45:56were
45:56represented
45:57by
45:57vice
45:58admiral
45:58Chuichi
45:59Hara
46:00the
46:00Americans
46:01by
46:02vice
46:02admiral
46:03George
46:03D
46:03Murray
46:05on
46:062nd
46:06September
46:071945
46:08the
46:09formal
46:09documents
46:10of
46:10surrender
46:10were
46:10exchanged
46:11and
46:12truck
46:12became
46:13the
46:13responsibility
46:14of
46:15the
46:15allies
46:15the
46:17Gibraltar
46:17of the
46:18Pacific
46:18had
46:19finally
46:20fallen
46:21the
46:22next
46:22month
46:23General
46:24Robert
46:24Blake
46:24inspected
46:25the
46:25occupied
46:26islands
46:26the
46:28devastation
46:29caused
46:29by
46:29Operation
46:30Hailstone
46:30and the
46:31subsequent
46:32bombing
46:32raids
46:32was
46:33obvious
46:34many
46:35of
46:35those
46:36who
46:36had
46:36survived
46:37were
46:37badly
46:37injured
46:38many
46:39of
46:39the
46:39native
46:39islanders
46:40were
46:40still
46:41in
46:41shock
46:41and
46:42fearful
46:42for
46:43the
46:43future
46:44it
46:45was
46:45clear
46:45that
46:46the
46:46ordinary
46:47Japanese
46:47soldier
46:48had
46:48also
46:49suffered
46:49greatly
46:51as
46:52the
46:52American
46:53inspection
46:53party
46:54toured
46:54the
46:54islands
46:55of
46:55the
46:55lagoon
46:55it
46:56became
46:57clear
46:57that
46:58these
46:58idyllic
46:59islands
46:59had
47:00paid
47:00a
47:00heavy
47:01price
47:01for
47:01their
47:02military
47:02value
47:03to
47:03the
47:03Japanese
47:15over
47:16half
47:16a
47:16century
47:17later
47:17the
47:18islands
47:19of
47:19truck
47:19lagoon
47:19are
47:20once
47:20more
47:21a
47:21paradise
47:22location
47:22for
47:23the
47:23adventurous
47:24traveler
47:24and
47:25no
47:26visitor
47:26who
47:26takes
47:27to
47:27the
47:27lagoon
47:27waters
47:28today
47:28is
47:29unaware
47:29of
47:30the
47:30remarkable
47:30sights
47:31that
47:32can be
47:32seen
47:32below
47:33the
47:33water
47:33surface
47:34you
47:35you can
47:35swim
47:35on
47:36the
47:36decks
47:37of
47:37the
47:37shinkoku
47:37maru
47:38and
47:38you
47:38can
47:38look
47:39around
47:39the
47:40captain's
47:40cabin
47:40and see
47:41the chest
47:41of coins
47:41still there
47:42you can see
47:43the surgeon's
47:44cabin
47:44with all his
47:45medicine
47:46and his
47:47sterilizing units
47:48his operating
47:49table
47:49all the tools
47:50are still there
47:50you can go on the
47:51galley
47:52of ships
47:54like the
47:54Fujikawa
47:54maru
47:55you can inspect
47:56the zeros
47:56which still
47:57lie in the
47:58holds
47:58racks of
47:59bullets
48:00and crates
48:01from
48:02torpedoes
48:02depth
48:03charges
48:04from the
48:05tanks
48:05on the
48:05deck
48:06of
48:06the
48:06San
48:06Francisco
48:07maru
48:07so
48:08from
48:09tanks
48:10to
48:10tankers
48:10from
48:11bullets
48:11to
48:12bombs
48:12from
48:12bowls
48:13sake
48:14bowls
48:14to
48:14bottles
48:14everything
48:15is
48:16intact
48:16and
48:17it's
48:17all
48:17there
48:20the
48:21wrecks
48:21that make
48:22up the
48:22remarkable
48:22graveyard
48:23of
48:23truck
48:24lagoon
48:24remain
48:25unrivalled
48:28it is
48:29perhaps
48:30ironic
48:30that
48:31these
48:32wrecked
48:32ships
48:33were
48:33themselves
48:34the
48:34victims
48:35of
48:35seagoing
48:35vessels
48:39though
48:40destroyed
48:40from the
48:41air
48:41these
48:42silent
48:43wrecks
48:43are
48:44proof
48:44of
48:45the
48:45continuing
48:46menace
48:46of
48:47sea
48:47power
48:56what
49:13they
49:13can
49:14be
49:14just
49:14what
49:14are
49:14looks
49:14like
49:14the
49:14him
49:32Transcription by CastingWords
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