Travel

In this three-part series, underwater shooter Don Silcock visits Bikini, the far-flung atoll in the Marshall Islands where the United States carried out its notorious nuclear weapons tests between 1946 and 1958. (Read Part I.)
 

The life-encrusted long guns of the USS Saratoga, one of the planet’s biggest diveable shipwrecks
 

Simply put, Bikini Atoll is the Holy Grail of wreck diving—there’s nowhere else in the world quite like it! I went there as thoroughly prepared as possible for the challenge of diving twice a day to depths of around 180 feet in a very remote location. (I’ll get into the details of that preparation in the third and final article of this series.) What I was completely unprepared for, however, was the profound impact the remarkable wrecks of Bikini would have on me. To paraphrase the renowned Kiwi wreck diver Pete Mesley—I developed a “lust for rust.”
 

A Location Like No Other

When I travel to a new location, it’s usually because I’ve heard or read stories about what makes it special. I then do enough research to identify the best local operator for the trip. Once there, I dive as much as possible, capture as many good images as I can, and try to absorb everything about the location. So, when I return home, I can put the overall experience into context and (hopefully) write an engaging, informative article.

With Bikini Atoll, however, the sheer amount of information available makes it challenging to truly grasp what happened—beyond the basic fact that numerous World War II-era capital ships were destroyed by nuclear explosions. Finding the right operator wasn’t difficult, though, as there’s only one: Master Liveaboards. Having now been there and witnessed the logistical challenges of running a tech diving boat in such a remote location, I’m even more impressed by what Master does at Bikini—and, more importantly, how they do it.
 

Divers explore the wreckage of the USS Apogon, the only diveable submarine at Bikini Atoll
 

The Wrecks

Of the 17 wrecks, seven are core sites regularly dived on Masters Liveaboards’ Bikini Atoll itineraries. I dived six of them—all at depths of 167–180 feet.

USS Saratoga

At 885 feet long and with a full-load displacement of 43,000 tons, the USS Saratoga is one of the largest diveable shipwrecks in the world—and undoubtedly the signature dive of Bikini Lagoon.

Commissioned in November 1922 after being converted from a Lexington-class battlecruiser, the Saratoga was the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to enter service with the U.S. Navy. The ship served with distinction throughout World War II, earning four campaign decorations and eight battle stars. But when the war ended, the Saratoga was effectively obsolete and, in early 1946, was assigned to Operation Crossroads.
 

A fighter plane, still on board the USS Saratoga at the time of its sinking, now rests on the sand nearby, cast off the ship during the Able test
 

A gun turret on the top of the USS Saratoga, complete with its long guns
 

For the Able test, the Saratoga was moored some distance from planned blast zero point, so she could be used later in the Baker test, where she was positioned just 400 yards from the epicenter. The force of the underwater Baker explosion lifted the Saratoga completely out of the water, knocking off all the aircraft and military equipment secured to the flight deck. When the Saratoga did sink, it was bolt upright, and she now sits in 170 feet of water, with the flight deck at 89 feet.

Descending down the mooring line to the Saratoga’s bow for the first time is a truly awe-inspiring experience. The wreck is so huge that you can only see parts of it at any point, but all those vignettes compile in your mind, and you know you’re doing something truly unique! It takes a few dives to get oriented on the wreck, but as confidence builds, you’re ready to penetrate the interior. (More on that in Part III.)
 

A diver approaches the flight deck of the USS Saratoga. The ship’s scale is so staggering, it is difficult to comprehend while diving it—it has to be viewed in segments

IJN Nagato

Perhaps the ultimate irony of Bikini Atoll is the wreck of the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Nagato. Commissioned in 1920, the Nagato was, at the time, the world’s largest, fastest, and most technologically advanced battleship—the first super-dreadnought to mount 16-inch guns.

At 738 feet long, displacing nearly 47,000 tons, and with a cruising speed of 27 knots, the Nagato was the flagship of the Japanese Navy. It was from her distinctive pagoda superstructure that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto issued the command “Niitakayama nobore (Climb Mount Niitaka) 1208” to launch the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
 

A diver photographs the massive propellers of the IJN Nagato
 

The Nagato was the only Japanese battleship to survive World War II. Seized by the Allies, she was eventually sent to Bikini for Operation Crossroads. Lightly damaged during the Able test, she was later positioned 970 yards from ground zero for the Baker test. Though she initially appeared to survive, she began listing to starboard and sank upside down five days later in 170 feet of water.

Besides its sheer size, three features of the Nagato wreck truly stand out: the four massive propellers at 108 feet; the 16-inch guns at the bow and stern, suspended from the hull at 164 feet; and the unmistakable pagoda superstructure, from which history was made.
 

A close-up of one of the huge propellers on the IJN Nagato, 108 feet below the surface

USS Arkansas

Commissioned in 1912, the USS Arkansas was a Wyoming-class dreadnought battleship, 561 feet long and displacing nearly 28,000 tons. Armed with 12-inch guns and capable of cruising at 20 knots, she was formidable in her day. The Arkansas served in both world wars and earned four battle stars. But deemed obsolete after World War II, she was assigned to Operation Crossroads.

Though moored farther from ground zero during the Able test, she still suffered shock damage to her superstructure. But during Baker, she was moored just 250 yards from the blast. It’s believed the force of the explosion lifted the entire ship vertically, and the Arkansas sank just 19 minutes after the detonation. She now rests nearly upside down on the sandy bottom at 180 feet.
 

Fish swarm around the massive 12-inch guns on the USS Arkansas. The guns lie beneath the structure of the ship, as she sank upside down

USS Lamson

The USS Lamson, a Mahan-class destroyer, was commissioned in 1936. She earned five battle stars during the Asiatic-Pacific campaign of World War II. Although not technically obsolete by the end of the war, the Lamson was deemed surplus to requirements and assigned to Operation Crossroads. She was sunk during the Able test and now rests upright at 180 feet.

At 341 feet long, the Lamson may seem somewhat longitudinally challenged compared to the capital shipwrecks at Bikini. But her compactness, combined with several intact guns, torpedoes, bombs, and easy access to her upper decks, make her an excellent dive.
 

A diver swims off the side of the USS Lamson, a destroyer that remains largely intact, including spare ordnance, despite being a “victim” of the Able nuclear test

USS Anderson

Commissioned in 1939, the USS Anderson was a Sims-class destroyer that served with distinction in the Asiatic-Pacific campaign, earning an impressive 10 battle stars. Like the Lamson, the Anderson was deemed surplus to requirements after the war and assigned to Operation Crossroads. Sunk during the Able test, she now lies mostly intact on her side at 171 feet. At 348 feet long, she’s also relatively compact but offers another great dive, with visible propellers, gun turrets, torpedo tubes, and depth charge racks.
 

Divers explore the wreckage of the USS Anderson. While not the largest wreck in the atoll, the Anderson is a great dive, as the structure is mostly intact with lots to explore

USS Apogon

The USS Apogon, a Balao-class submarine, was commissioned in July 1943 and later retrofitted with remote control systems before being assigned to Operation Crossroads. She survived the Able test undamaged. But for Baker, she was submerged to 100 feet and remotely guided to within 110 yards of the nuclear device. Although her hull remained intact, the immense pressure wave from the underwater detonation caused her seals to fail, flooding the sub. Now resting upright at 157 feet, she is the only diveable submarine at Bikini.
 

Remarkably, the USS Apogon’s hull remained intact despite her proximity to the blast site

Final Thoughts

Almost every aspect of diving Bikini Atoll’s “nuclear fleet” was an adventurous challenge for me—starting with just getting there and back again! I had to train for safe diving to 55 meters, and then execute those dives safely, with very little room for error in such a remote location. Photographing huge wrecks at depth was a whole other challenge, and understanding what happened at Bikini—and why—proved far more complex than I had imagined.

Was it all worth it? Absolutely. It also changed my whole game plan for the coming years. Before I even left the atoll, I was already planning my return, starting with closed-circuit rebreather familiarization training. I’ll tell you all about that in the concluding part of this series.
 

Don is an underwater photographer and photojournalist based in Bali, Indonesia. His website www.indopacificimages.com has extensive location guides, articles, and images on some of the best diving locations in the Indo-Pacific region and “big animal” experiences globally.