Product Description

Truk was an important World War II island stronghold functioning as a vital airbase and headquarters for the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet. It became a potential "roadblock" for the American Pacific Fleet in its advance towards the Japanese Empire. These islands were targeted twice by US Navy carrier striking forces with a powerful group of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers for support. Target objectives included the destruction of the shipping, aircraft, and installations. In addition, land-based US Army Air Force B-24s and B-29s carried out an extensive bombing campaign against the islands. The Japanese defenders were overwhelmed by the concentrated bombing, torpedo, rocket, and strafing attacks by the planes of the US Navy carrier forces and by the heavy pounding given them by land-based Army Air Force bombers. Huge rusting guns in the Japanese-built caves, pillboxes, open emplacements, and a lagoon filled with ship and aircraft wrecks are an important legacy from World War II in this tropical central Pacific island group. The sheer number and diversity of the wrecks found in the relatively shallow lagoon waters brings thousands of divers to this remote location every year. Truk, now known as Chuuk State, has become one of the most desirable dive locations in the world.

This 533-page volume documents the Japanese occupation and build-up of Truk into a strategic naval base, the air campaign against the ships, aircraft, and installations, and the exploration/descriptions of the ship and aircraft wrecks that remain. Many new details of the Operation Hailstone raids of February 17-18, 1944 and the Japanese reaction have been included from information found in intelligence file references. Emphasis on the aerial combat between the Japanese and American planes, descriptions of Japanese installations and defenses, and information on the intensive US fast carrier raids of April 29-30, 1944 against Truk have been published for the first time. A total of 173 maps and drawings, 101 black and white photos, and 150 color plates are included in this book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #347439 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 533 pages

Review
"Spectacular in every dimension - photography, history, and cartography." -- Combined Fleet Website

"Thank you to Dan E. Bailey for sharing what must be a lifetime's work. -Andrew Reay-Robinson -- Scuba Travel Website

Dan Bailey's book is almost impossibly comprehensive... This is a remarkable work that rewards a steep cover price. -Bernard Eaton -- Diver Magazine (UK)

From the Author
The objective in writing this book was to make it one of the most detailed books ever written on the subject of World War II and the US campaign against one of the important Japanese bases in the Pacific War. The description of Truk island's history, its defenses and installations, and the ship and aircraft wrecks that are a legacy of the battles that took place are presented in more detail than has ever been attempted. New information is added throughout the book that has been gathered from exhaustive research.

About the Author
Dan Bailey was born in Redding, California, an inland area in the northern part of the state. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1966. He went to work for GTE Sylvania in 1969 as a radar systems engineer on Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands). Kwajalein is the receiving end of the ICBM test missiles fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. These missile tests were used to accumulate information on warhead accuracy and to build a database on characteristics of warheads entering the atmosphere that can be used to destroy enemy weapon systems. Kwajalein had been a Japanese World War II island naval base and many ships and aircraft had been sunk in the surrounding lagoon waters. There was an active diving community on Kwajalein and Roi-Namur and he soon became very involved in diving the wrecks. Shortly after the diving services opened up at Truk, he began traveling there regularly.

Dan began accumulating underwater photos from both Kwajalein and Truk and documenting the wrecks for a proposed book. In 1982, he published the first edition of "World War II Wrecks of the Kwajalein and Truk Lagoons." Three revised and updated editions and three other printings of the book resulted. Meanwhile, Dan's interest in wreck diving resulted in trips to Palau in the Western Caroline Islands. In 1991, the book "World War II Wrecks of Palau" was published.

"World War II Wrecks of the Truk Lagoon," finally published in February 2001, was the result of eight years of concentrated research, writing, the drawing of the maps and illustrations and the assembling of of information and photos gathered from some 41 (or 42?) diving trips to the Truk Lagoon since 1971.

Following two tours at Kwajalein, Dan worked in Europe for nine years on classified projects and then retired as an engineer in 1986. His time is now spent between managing real estate investments and North Valley Diver Publications business (promoting and selling diving books and maps) while living again in Redding, California.

Customer Reviews

By far the best book on Truk
I would recommend this book to all divers and war history buffs interested in the wrecks of Truk. Especially for divers who are planning a trip to Truk. This is the perfect dive planning text for learning about the wrecks before the dives so divers can maximize their bottom time experience. Each wreck has its own chapter with maps and a guide to the highlights of the wreck. There are also photos of the wrecks before they sank and a history of each ship. After a trip to Truk, it is the perfect souvenir -- better than any details in log books! Lots of GREAT underwater wreck photography in color, too.
Mike Zinsley, author of the Rapture of the Deep

Outstanding Work for Divers and Historians
I can't say enough good things about this book. It is an exemplary work that meets the needs of several audiences. With 250+ color and black&white photos (the majority being color), and 173 maps and illustrations, it has all the "eye-candy" anyone would ever want, and is handsome enough for display. Yet it is also incredibly detailed in its historical treatment, and provides the serious WWII historian with a wealth of useful, well-organized information on the battles around Truk. Anyone who is even moderately interested in Truk should own a copy--it is worth every single penny you'll spend on it. "A+" rating..

The ultimate Truk Lagoon history book
If you are a history buff or a scuba diver or if you know anyone who is, this is the book to get. Not only does this book go over the history of Truk (Chuuk as it is now known) Lagoon but also the history of all the wrecks contained there from WWII. It also details the attack that the US Navy completed in February of 1944. From the force of ships that participated in the attack to the ships that were sunk.
It has in complete detail of all ships that sunk, what they were carrying, size, etc.

I have been to Truk Lagoon once, bought this book when I came back, and now going back again now that I know more of the history of the ships and planes that I will be diving on again. This book also makes for a great coffee table book that many friends and family will enjoy looking through.!
It is well put together and worth the money for it.