The Legacy of Operation Crossroads

Welcome to Bikini sign

Operation Crossroads was a product of its time. The world was beginning to heal itself after WWII and nobody wanted a repeat. But there was great paranoia as well. The prevailing opinion seemed to be that nobody would start any trouble if they knew they could be destroyed in one day. So testing new weapons […]

Operation Crossroads – Baker Test

Baker Test shortly after detonation

Operation Crossroads blew, literally, into life on the 1st July 1946 with the Able Test. Spectators, and a worldwide audience, were remarkably underwhelmed with the result; but that was about to change. The second of three planned tests, the Baker Test, was about to blow expectation out of the water. Preparations Begin Following the initial […]

Prinz Eugen – The Wrecks of the Nuclear Fleet

Prinz Eugen in Bikini Atoll

When joining a Bikini Atoll diving itinerary, Prinz Eugen is often the first dive of the trip. After all, she’s right there in Kwajalein Atoll, nice and shallow, the perfect check dive for the trip ahead. But how did she get here, and what is she like to dive? Wreck Stats Prinz Eugen is an […]

Operation Crossroads – Bikini Atoll

Operation Crossroads - Test Baker

The United States had first introduced the world to the power of nuclear weaponry on August 6th 1945. Most of the world had seen the attack on Hiroshima, and three days later Nagasaki. There could be no doubt that we were in a new era of military power. But the question was whether this new […]

Operation Crossroads – Able Test

Able Test - 1st July 1946 - part of Operation Crossroads

It had been less than a year since nuclear testing on a naval fleet had first been suggested. In that time, the population of Bikini Atoll was cleared and ninety four vessels were now moored in the lagoon. Some 40,000 personal moved into the area and the world was ready for Operation Crossroads to begin. […]

The History behind Operation Hailstone

Aikoku Maru during Operation Hailstone

Operation Hailstone is one of the reasons we dive in Truk Lagoon nowadays. But what is the history behind Operation Hailstone? Tension between USA and Japan It was not until 1941 that the USA entered WWII. They mainly saw it as an European war. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor changed everything for the USA. […]

Inside the San Francisco Maru Wreck

San Francisco Maru sailing and cruising

The more you know about each wreck in Truk Lagoon, the more you will get out of your dives. In a series of articles around the specific wrecks in the lagoon we will give you a little extra history. In this edition, the San Francisco Maru. Quick facts LENGTH 117 meters GROSS TONNAGE 5864 tons DEPTH AT THE […]