Wrecking Crew

Wrecking Crew is making a comeback in 2020 in Tampa, Florida. Stay tuned!

A great video on how colors change with depth:

thumbs.gfycat.com

Happy Saturday, Kwajalein Atoll! Our 20th Wreck of the Week is the B-25 #3 off of Roi-Namur!

The B-25 Mitchell's introduction to Naval Aviation came under unique circumstances when 16 of the bombers under the command of Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) for a raid on Tokyo on 18 April 1942. Just two months later, the Navy contracted for a percentage of North American's B-25 production. Designated PBJs, the aircraft became a mainstay in Marine Corps medium bombing squadrons. Marine Bombing Squadron (VMB) 413 flew the aircraft's first sorties in the Solomon Islands, and subsequent flights included daylight bombing over Rabaul, as well as night heckling missions. Navy use of the PBJ was mainly experimental in nature, including catapult and arresting gear trials aboard the carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38) in November 1944.

This wreck is special because it was scuttled onto a coral head, making it look like it's banking, as well as a cockpit that's in excellent condition. This awesome plane is located in the heart of the airplane graveyard.

This week's Wreck of the Week is the Phantom Maru! This wreck is what would happen if you blew up the front half of the Ski Area Wreck; there's immense damage to the starboard side of the bow. Unlike Ski Area, the holds on the sides are also rectangular (instead of being hatches). There are all sorts of coral and algae growth on this wreck, making it extra fun to explore those nooks and crannies!

Happy Independence Day, Kwajalein Atoll!

To celebrate, here are a few photos of something from the U.S. side of World War 2. My *uneducated guess* is that this is the U.S. Army's amphibious LVTA-1 Alligator. I'd love to hear your thoughts and clarifications on this historic gem, which can be found over at Roi!

Happy Saturday, Kwajalein Atoll! This week's Wreck of the Week is the Fumi Maru #3, known locally as the Dai-San. The Fumi Maru appears to have been a submarine chaser and auxiliary minesweeping vessel until her sinking in the second World War.

Today, the Dai-San is a beautiful, small ship located on the East side of the lagoon. There's an awesome deck-mounted gun with some ammo boxes, tons of gorgeous black coral, views into a bathroom and engine room, and a huge crack that runs down the port side of the ship.

What an awesome dive!!

This week's Wreck of the Week is the upright Aichi E13 "Jake" plane on the lagoon's east side.

The Aichi E13 was the most popular long-range scout seaplane used by the Imperial Japanese Navy. It carried up to 3 people and a bombload of up to 550lb. Jakes were used as scouts during the attack of Pearl Harbor and combatted the US in the Battle of Midway.

Today, there are several Jakes in the Kwajalein Atoll and several more scattered around the Pacific, waiting to be explored!

This month's Wreck of the Week is the Prinz Eugen, a wreck with a history as rich and long as her hull.

Prinz Eugen is an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, measuring 697' in length and displacing over 19,000 tons of water. She traveled with the famed Bismarck and was involved in the sinking of the Hood, a British battlecruiser. After the German collapse in May 1945, she was surrendered to the British Royal Navy before being transferred to the US Navy as a war prize. After examining the ship in the United States, the US Navy assigned the cruiser to the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. Having survived the atomic blasts, Prinz Eugen was towed to Kwajalein Atoll, where she ultimately capsized and sank in December 1946.

This wreck is special to me also because she was my wreck as a Divemaster; I've spent countless dives and hours exploring, photographing, and mapping this incredible historic relic.