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Shipwrecks have fascinated divers from the earliest history of
diving. The excitement of discovery combined with the thrill of
descending down the anchor line as it disappears into deep blue water is
never far away from the wreck diver's heart.
The mystery of
individual wrecks such as the Andrea Doria and the Titanic seem bigger
than life until the diver's imagination begins to understand the idea of
a "sea of wrecks" in tropical water and accessible with only a
short boat ride.
The wrecks of Truk Lagoon cover many
diverse interests. The history buff can visualize the years that
these huge ships sat intact and full of equipment, supplies and men
working the thunderous engines. Divers can cruise the decks of the
ships and see the colorful soft corals that cover the ships. The
wrecks serve as artificial reefs to the many varieties of sea life that
inhabit the lagoon and are an underwater photographer's
dream.
Each wreck has it's own history and it's
own unique structure. The cargo varies as widely as the fish
swimming through the holds -- ammunition, periscopes, airplane engines
& frames, jeeps, tanks, china and other artifacts litter the decks
and quarters. Medicine bottles hold their magic elixir in the operating
rooms below the deck. Telegraphs, covered in marine growth stand ready
to signal the next direction to the navigators.
Truk Lagoon is a one-of-a-kind experience
-- there is no other place like it in the world.
Details and history of the wrecks are available through several books.
Some good resources are "World War II Wrecks of the Truk Lagoon" by Dan Bailey and "Hailstorm Over Truk Lagoon"
by Klaus Lindemann. |
