The USA dropped over 6,000 tons of bombs during
their 2 major aircraft carrier attacks (February and
April/May, 1944) and the B-24 and B-29 raids,
destroying much of the Japanese military facilities
on the islands and sinking over 50 ships and
destroying about 410 aircraft.
The 51 ships sunk in Truk Lagoon include 8 warships, comprising
4 submarine chasers (130-420 tons), one submarine of 1,785 tons,
2 destroyers (each approximately 1,500 tons), one 935-ton patrol
boat and some smaller landing craft; 39 armed transport ships
and tankers ranging in size from a few hundred tons to the
11,614-ton submarine tender Heian Maru (the largest ship in the
lagoon); the 8,614-ton armed transport Kiyosumi Maru (see
illustration below) and 3 tugs. This list does not include the
many smaller craft reported to have been sunk.
Many of the ships were anchored and unloading their cargo of
oil, tanks, sea mines, vehicles, aircraft, and other war
machinery, foodstuffs, alcohol, and medicines. The ships
included the Fujikawa Maru, a 6,938-ton armed transport that
still contains "zero" aircraft (the Japanese nickname given to
its successful single-engine fighter plane, which the Americans
codenamed a "zeke") in its holds; the Shinkoku Maru, a
10,020-ton oil tanker that assisted the Japanese fleet that
struck Pearl Harbor; and the 10,437-ton armed transport, Aikoku
Maru, that sank after a huge explosion and killed over 730
soldiers and crew. Destroyers and other ships attempting to flee
the bombing were sunk near the passages through the encircling
reef.
Many of the Japanese aircraft were destroyed before they took
off and about 140 were lost during aerial combat, with the
potential that many could be located in the lagoon. In addition,
26 United States naval aircraft (including helldivers, hellcats,
kingfishers, avengers, and a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless), several
British planes (a British carrier was attacked in June 1945),
and 5 or 6 U.S. Air Force B-24s were lost during the combat.
Only a small number of these have been found. The remains of
nine Japanese and one American World-War-II aircraft have been
found in the lagoon. Japanese aircraft found inside the lagoon
include zero fighters, dive bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, a
larger two-engine bomber, and a four-engine flying boat.
Kiyosumi Maru (courtesy UK
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich)
