Pacific Abyss – BBC

Truk is the old name for Chuuk these days, back in WW2 they were known as the Caroline Islands.

I dived these wrecks back in 2005 and it is truly am amazing place to dive. The Zero fighter plane(s) and various other aircraft parts are in the front hold of the freighter ‘Fujikawa Maru’ at about 25m. Some of the other wrecks in the lagoon also hold other aircraft parts like engines.

I took some piccies while diving and the attached is a rather poor image of the cockpit.

One day I’ll go back there again….ho hum.

“If you’d concentrated on the programme” sorry Pete, I was only called to watch the TV when the ‘crashed plane’ was on so did not know who, what or where things were happening.

I’ll let you off mate, that sort of thing happens to me as well, though we tend to have a good session with the Radio Times these days to check things out, well worth the £1:05p.
What is interesting is that the programme describes Kate Humble as a ‘Naturalist’. Quite frankly, my missus hasn’t much time for her, and if you look up her profile, she’s learnt her trade from experience and probably family influence rather than a university degree, good for her, as far as I’m concerned, theres nowt like learning stuff in the field rather than a classroom.
My son has had the best of both worlds, he’s just got his degree and is an honourary Masai warrior, he can also probably recognise the difference between a Betty and a Zero, and can scuba dive, unfortunately the powers that be want to shunt him off to become a teacher, as they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, with his personality, charm and good looks, he’d take TV presenting in his stride, no problem at all, but where do you start to get in there without the contacts.
He’ll kill me for writing this!!!

“If you’d concentrated on the programme” sorry Pete, I was only called to watch the TV when the ‘crashed plane’ was on so did not know who, what or where things were happening.

Fascinating programm!
Interestingly, I have seen the previous ‘Truck’ lagoon films of preservation diving and the finding of a new wreck sites. On the Abyss dive, we saw an old map showing the name as Chuuk lagoon. Can anyone confirm the name Truck, or is it a Western abreviation ?

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hot81yUlqEM

But before the piece looking at the “Betty”? they dived on a transport ship that was full of fighters – with some closeups of a Zero?

Roger Smith

Did you notice that all the instruments had been stolen from the cockpit of the Zero, a bit of damage to the airframe you would expect, but I doubt whether the panel had emptied itself.
Back to the tank again, we have examples in Europe that have been rescued from the sea, Shermans from the D-Day beaches, one from Slapton Sands, and not well known, a couple of Conquerors from a pond near Colchester.
I wonder how well that Japanese tank would scrub up, I seem to recall examples at Lambeth IWM and Bovington, I reckon they are rarer than Zeros.

But before the piece looking at the “Betty”? they dived on a transport ship that was full of fighters – with some closeups of a Zero?

Roger Smith

The rear fuselage blisters and vertical stabiliser look like a Betty.

I believe that would have been Truk Lagoon. Had a History Channel show on the “Ghosts” of Truk. Sounds like some of the same dive spots. They are working hard to keep souvenir hunters from further stripping the wrecks. Truk is turning into a premier dive spot and they would like to keep it that way.

http://diversionoz.com/en/micronesia-truk.htm?gclid=CIClnZTYl5UCFQJvswodEAglhA

Did anybody see the BBC series on Sunday night ? The series is an excellent wildlife programme following underwater explorers around the Paciffic. Last night showed film of a pratice dive on a WW2 plane wreck, it was identified as a Japanese twin enginned bomber, although missing engines. Any more details of what it was and where it was located, the obvious question is do these wildlife teams report these finds to restorers / military for possible identification or recovery.

If you’d concentrated on the programme, you would have realised that the bloke taking Kate down to the wreck was a miltiary historian, well aware of what was down there, and what they were reporting on.
I thought the programme was pretty cool, Kate seemed genuinely well knocked out about what she was seeing underwater as well as on land, please don’t dismiss all blonde, glam BBC reporters as idiots, it’s not always the case.
Personally, I loved the Japanese tank with the gas mask on the turret, though, a little sad to think how many died on that ship, Japanese or not. How many Japanese tanks have survived the war, it can’t be many, anyone have any idea?