Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Background.
Chuuk Lagoon is 64 kilometers wide and has a circumference of about 220 kilometers, it is located in the central Pacific, east of the Philippines. There are 15 islands in the lagoon plus another 240 islets, with Weno ( Moen ) Island the largest one.

Moen Island Truk Lagoon

The first European in this area was the Spanish explorer Alonso de Arello in 1565, in his ship San Lucas, 250 years later, Manuel Dublon in San Antonio, visited to collect sea cucumbers or beche -de- mer. In 1899, Spain off loaded the area to Germany for cash, they held it until WW1, when Japan as one of our Allies then, seized this lagoon and its surrounding territory.

Model of Japanese battleship Musashi, flagship of the Second fleet, observed in Truk Lagoon.

Germany had changed the name from Chuuk to Truk, to become the Capital of the Caroline Islands. By a League of Nations decree, Japan was given the mandate of this area in 1922, with an undertaking not to fortify the islands.

Truk Lagoon with its wide stretch of water with only 5 entrances, made it an ideal place for a Naval Base, easy to defend, and in the early 1940's, Japan started to built fortifications near the 5 Lagoon entrances, plus air strips, so that Truk became  an important and major Japanese Naval Base in the central Pacific. It was to be used for their campaigns in New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands.

F6F Hellcat, readied on the flight deck of one of the attacking carriers at Truk, 17th. February 1944.

Base for Japanese Navy.
From July 1942, the Japanese First, Second, and Third Fleets, as well as the 6th.

Avenger TBF's ready to roll on deck of US Carrier Monterey, attack on Truk Lagoon, 17th. February 1944.

Submarine Fleet were based on Truk.
The five, I Class Submarines that carried midget Submarines that were to attack Sydney Harbour in May/June of 1942, all staged from Truk Lagoon. Truk was such a major base for the Japanese that the US Navy could no longer afford to ignore, on the 4th. of February 1944, two PB4Y aircraft were used to fly reconnaissance flights over Truk, and they reported a large number of naval ships including the mighty 71,659 ton super battleship, Musashi, she mounted 9 by 18 inch guns, and had a crew of 2,800, plus merchant ships or transports in the lagoon. There were a large number of Japanese aircraft on the various airstrips on the surrounding islands.

It was time to STRIKE.
On the 17th. and 18th. of February 1944, a large US Task Force headed up by the US battleship, Iowa, with 9 carriers, 7 battleships, with an appropriate screening force, mounted a number of airstrikes, this was code named Operation Hail Stone. 275 Japanese aircraft were destroyed, and some 45 ships, with a tonnage in excess of 220,000 tons went to the bottom of Truk Lagoon, to since form a wonderful dive site, which has been described as the best spot to dive on wrecks in the Pacific.

16 inch main armament of US battleship Iowa, firing at fleeing Japanese Destroyer Nowake.
Truk Lagoon, February 1944.

The US lost 25 aircraft with 29 aircrew dead.
The Carrier Intrepid was hit by a torpedo, with 11 crew dead. Truk, unlike the Solomons and many other islands in the Pacific war, was never invaded by American Marines, it was just levelled from the air.

Task force 58, peacefully at anchor at Majuro Atoll
after the attack on Japanese stronghold of Truk in February 1944.

Post war Truk.
After WW2, Truk joined other areas to become the Federated States of Micronesia, and in 1989 Truk's name was changed back to Chuuk. Prior to the Federation of States, these Islands were a trust of the UN, and the USA administered the area.

But these days its all back to peace and quiet in this tranquil area, but the Lagoon still attracting diving enthusiasts from around the world, who want to explore the many wrecks scattered on the bottom of Chuuk Lagoon as the result of Operation Hail Stone, back in February 1944.

F6F Hellcat, readied on the flight deck of one of the attacking carriers at Truk, 17th. February 1944.

Avenger TBF's ready to roll on deck of US Carrier Monterey, attack on Truk Lagoon, 17th. February 1944

Map showing the position of Federated States of Micronesia.