Japanese Naval historian Masanori Ito wrote: “When World War II began, the Japanese Navy – the third most powerful in the world – included some of the mightiest ships in naval history and was a force worthy of the pride and trust of the Japanese people. The Japanese Flagship to the Japanese Navy, Nagato was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s floating fortress during Japan’s World War II attack on Pearl Harbor and was a treasure to the Japanese forces. The USS Saratoga is the largest diveable vessel in the world, and the only aircraft carrier available for diving. Her last minutes were slow and tortured she fought and would not sink, but slowly the 3 was engulfed by the reaching waters, the tip of her mast was the last bit of Sara seen by man.” Unless, of course, you are a diver fortunate enough to be visiting Bikini Atoll! The bow slowly reared high the stern sank deep, and, as if striving for immortality, the Sara lifted her white numeral 3 high into the sun before her bow slipped slowly under. the starboard aft corner of her flight deck was awash then the loud speakers blared: ‘The water is up to her island now the bow is high in the air.’ “The Sara settled, the air soughing from her compartments like the breath from exhausted lungs. From three o’clock on she sank fast, her buoyancy gone, as the fleet kept the death watch for a ‘fighting lady.’ But she died a lonely death, with no man upon the decks once teaming with life, with pumps idle and boilers dead. “There were scores who wanted to save her – and perhaps she might have been saved, had there been a crew aboard. Outside the reef…the observing ships cruised, while the Sara slowly died. Baldwin wrote this epitaph as he watched the Saratoga sink slowly beneath Bikini’s lagoon: “There were many who had served her in the observing fleet and they fought with her through the long hot hours as the sun mounted. She received seven battle stars.Įight hours after the waves created by the atomic Baker blast rolled over her, New York Times correspondent Hanson W. She was reported sunk by the Japanese seven times during World War II. Fuel and ammunition loads during test BAKER were 10% of capacity and 67% capacity respectively. Saratoga had a fuel capacity of 63,200 barrels of fuel oil, 249 barrels of diesel oil, and 132,264 gallons of gasoline. These Helldivers and bombs are still on display, complete with all dials and controls. Her bridge is easily accessible at 40 feet, her deck at 90 feet, and the hanger for the Helldivers at 125 feet. It rests in Bikini’s lagoon at a depth of 190 feet. Follows is details on the ships:Ĭommissioned in 1927, the American aircraft carrier is 880 feet in length and weighs 39,000 tons. This is a very unusual situation as in most places in the world where there are sunken US warships their ownership is retained by the United States government. The ships sunk by the nuclear tests in 1946 in Bikini Atoll’s lagoon belong to the people of Bikini. Inquiries can be put to the liaison officer Lani Kramer. There is also the complication that anyone diving the wrecks has to have a Bikinian diver and a councilman with them. Note that up until February, 2017, yachts were allowed visit the atoll after seeking permission from the Bikini Town Hall for free, however this has now changed and a fee of $5,000 is likely to be charged to cruisers who want to dive the atoll. You can contact Martin at his email here. It is possible to dive at Bikini using Martin Daly’s Indies Trader boats. In early 2008, however, the dive operation couldn’t be sustained because of transport difficulties and was closed down. #Bikini atoll dive professionalBack in June of 1996 a dive operation was open to provide an economic base for a possible future resettlement of Bikini Atoll. The then Bikini Atoll Council, under the name of Bikini Atoll Divers, fulfilled their goal to open the one of the most professional – and safest – dive operations possible. The Bikini Storyīikini Atoll, which was the site of numerous atomic bombs in the 1940s and 1950s and has the world’s largest diveable wrecks, but it is not so easy to access these today. To dive Bikini Atoll you must be in contact with either Bikini Local Government or a representative of Indies Trader. A diver cruises over one of the wrecks at Bikini Atoll.
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