Chuuk Lagoon (Truk)

Chuuk Lagoon, previously “Truk Atoll”, is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,800 kilometres (970 nautical miles) northeast of New Guinea and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia. Chuuk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan’s main naval base in the South Pacific theatre during World War II. It was the site of a major U.S. attack during Operation Hailstone in February 1944, and Operation Inmate, a small assault conducted by British and Canadian forces during June 1945.

“The Chuuk lagoon is the final tomb for more than 100 ships, planes, and submarines—the legacy of a fierce World War II battle between the Japanese Imperial Fleet and Allied [primarily the United States] carrier attack planes.” As a tourist website reports, “It is a rare opportunity to find so many shipwrecks so close together and so completely intact.”

We were diving at Chuuk Lagoon in February 2025. Link to my blog: https://dive3d.eu/truk-lagoon-chuuk/