Diving The WWII Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon with John Jay

In January of 2023, John Jay dove the shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon, a deep-water atoll of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia, which served as a primary logistics and repair base for the Japanese Navy in the Western Pacific during WWII. On February 16-17, 1944, the Allies attacked the base under Operation Hailstone, heavily damaging the infrastructure, sinking over 50 ships, and destroying even more aircraft.
The wrecks lay scattered at depths of 30 to 200 feet in various states of destruction. Truk is unique in the wreck diving world due to its prohibition on artifact collecting in the early days of recreational diving. As a result, a vast array of artifacts remain exactly where they landed when the ships sank, including everyday items, vehicles, weapons, and lots of unexploded ordinances. I explored 10 ships and penetrated deep into several, with some down to the lower engine rooms. The level of skill required ranged from basic to very advanced, with the dangers including silting, entanglement, constriction, and an unusual orientation of a wreck. Diving Turk was childhood dream come true for John, and we are excited to share the details of this adventure on the 2oth!

[@michaelbortner5687]

Another fascinating program from the Adventurers’ Club. Thanks for sharing your terrific Truk Lagoon dive experience.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

These videos are great. The whole series is inspiring.

[@stewartdeats9360]

Truk is def on my wish list.