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The wrecks at the White Beach dive site are one of the highlights of diving the Russell Islands, two small volcanic islands that were central to American military operations during the Solomons campaign of World War II
 

Located at the eastern tip of the famed Coral Triangle, the Solomon Islands is a long string of beautiful tropical islands surrounded by the deep trenches and basins of the vast Pacific Ocean to the east and the Solomon Sea to the south. Diving in the Solomon Islands comes in two distinct varieties: stunning reefs nourished by regional and equatorial currents, which deliver eggs and larvae along with rich nutrients from the depths, and numerous ship and airplane wrecks, poignant reminders of the country’s role in World War II.

While some of these WWII wrecks require technical diving skills, there are many more that are within recreational limits. Master Liveaboards provide an easy and comfortable way to access the best of these wrecks, and I was lucky enough to satisfy my lust for rust on a dedicated “WWII Wreck Week” aboard the superb Solomons Master.
 

The Solomons Master at the site of the wreck of a I-1 Japanese submarine, off the village of Tambea, on the north west tip of Guadalcanal, the largest island in the Solomons
 

The Solomons and WWII

Following their devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Japanese quickly moved to establish control over the western Pacific. Papua New Guinea was their initial target, and they set up regional headquarters in Rabaul, fortified with air and naval bases throughout New Britain, New Ireland, and Bougainville.

Next came the strategically important Solomon Islands, which were to form the outer ring of a Pacific defensive network from which they could defend Rabaul and attack the US supply lines to Australia and New Zealand. Their first move was in March 1942, with airstrips established throughout the islands. Then in May, they seized Tulagi and built a seaplane base, followed in June by Guadalcanal, where they constructed a large airfield.
 

Lying at about 110 feet, the wreck of the American Catalina seaplane near Tulagi Island is one of the top wreck dives in the Solomons Islands
 

When the tide of war turned, following the naval battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, those bases became Allied targets as they shifted to offense in August 1942. The fighting was intense and brutal, lasting until February 1943. The Allies lost around 7,100 men, along with 29 ships and 615 aircraft, while the Japanese lost about 19,200 men as well as 38 ships and 683 aircraft.

Many of those wrecks have never been found, but numerous others have, making the waters of the Solomon Islands one of the richest concentrations of WWII wrecks in the world. In fact, so many ships were lost during the Battle of Guadalcanal that the region north of Honiara became known as “Iron Bottom Sound.”

The wrecks in and around Iron Bottom Sound are scattered across an area of some 2,700 square miles. A liveaboard is the only way to dive those within recreational limits on a single trip, which is precisely what the Master’s “WWII Wreck Week” is designed to offer.
 

The Russell Islands

Located about 60 miles northwest of Honiara, the Russell Islands are a small archipelago consisting of two main islands, Pavuvu and Mbanika, and over 50 smaller islets. Further northwest lies the large island of New Georgia, the next target after victory in Guadalcanal. This made the Russells very strategic for the Allies as they prepared for that campaign.

In February 1943, the archipelago was occupied and transformed into a forward operating base with roads, a radar station, a patrol torpedo boat base, housing, hospital facilities, and airfields. Before WWII, fewer than 350 people lived there, but under the Allies, the area became a boomtown, with more than 16,000 personnel stationed there at its peak.

White Beach

The first thing to know about the main wreck site at the Russell Islands is that there isn’t actually a white beach here. This was actually the Allied code name for their initial landing site.

When the Allies left in 1945, everything that could not be flown out was dumped off the main jetty, and the barges that formed it were scuttled. This WWII scrapyard is now an artificial reef, with everything from trucks, jeeps, tractors, and bulldozers to large amounts of ammunition and Coca-Cola bottles all found in 15 to 100 feet of water, just off the shore.
 

At sunrise, the serene environs of White Beach belie the treasures to be found beneath the water’s surface 
 

At White Beach, countless WWII artifacts litter the reefs

The Florida Islands

Sitting roughly halfway between Guadalcanal and Malaita, the small island group consists of two larger islands, Nggela Sule and Nggela Pile, separated by the narrow Mboli Passage. There are also several smaller islands, the most significant being the former capital of Tulagi. Post-independence, the group became known as the Nggela Islands, but most people still refer to them as the Florida Islands. There are numerous WWII wrecks around the islands, including my favorite, the HMNZS Moa.

HMNZS Moa

In December 1942, the Royal New Zealand Navy deployed three Bird-class minesweepers to Guadalcanal—Moa, Kiwi, and Tui. All of them were based on Tulagi and were assigned to anti-submarine patrols. The Moa and Kiwi saw major action at the end of January 1943 when, working in tandem, they sank an I-1 cruiser submarine. In early April, the Moa came under heavy attack from Japanese aircraft while being refuelled near Tulagi harbor. Hit twice with 500lb bombs, she sank in minutes, with the loss of five lives and 15 wounded.

Sitting on a silty bottom at 130 feet, the Moa is a fairly deep dive, and the bow is submerged in the mud, but it is easily covered on a single dive. The superstructure, made of timber overlaid with brass, was “liberated” during the late 1970s salvage era. Key features to see are the large 4-inch gun mounted on a raised platform near the bow, the iron propeller (no salvage value), the rudder, and the twin depth charge racks on the main deck.
 

The main gun on the bow of the Moa minesweeper
 

The Moa’s depth charge launcher
 

Catalina

Almost 1,300 aircraft were lost during the Solomons campaign, and the Florida Islands have some great examples from both sides, starting with the Catalina Wreck. The Consolidated Aircraft Model 28, commonly known as the PBY Catalina, was a much-loved aircraft in WWII. It was robust, reliable, and multifunctional, serving equally well as a maritime patrol, bomber, or search and rescue seaplane. It was the latter role that endeared it to many, as Catalinas saved the lives of numerous pilots and crew during the war.

The Catalina Wreck is just off the southeast tip of Tulagi. It is thought that after retrieving a downed airman, the seaplane struck a small boat while landing at night in November 1943. Before it sank, the crew and rescued pilot managed to escape the damaged aircraft, flipped onto its back by the impact. Righting itself on descent, the Catalina came to rest with the nose at 85 feet and the tailplane at 110 feet. As the wreck was found after the salvage era, all three machine guns are present, and there are several boxes of ammunition scattered around the site.
 

The Catalina Wreck is home to lionfish, jacks, snappers, and trevallies
 

Machine guns and munitions remain in place on the Catalina Wreck
 

Mavis 5 and 6 Seaplanes

Code-named “Mavis” by the Allies, the Kawanishi H6K flying boat was the Japanese equivalent of the Catalina, but bigger, with four engines instead of two and a much longer range. On the day the Allies invaded Tulagi, there were seven H6Ks plus eight Rufes (amphibious Mitsubishi Zeros) moored at the nearby Gavutu and Tanambogo Islands. A surprise dawn air raid by F4F Wildcats destroyed all 15 aircraft. The eight Rufes were later recovered for intelligence purposes.

Of the seven seaplanes, only four remain in any recognizable form. Of those, Mavis 5 and 6 are the most intact and are both good dives with lots to see.
 

Dwarfing the Catalina, the Mavis had a length of 84 feet and a wingspan of 130 feet, and could accommodate a crew of nine
 

Inside and out, the H6K seaplanes are smothered in soft coral

Guadalcanal

Control of the large airfield near Honiara was key to success in the Guadalcanal campaign, and Japan made several attempts to retake the area. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles, and almost daily aerial battles were fought in late 1942, culminating in the decisive Battle of Guadalcanal. In December, the Japanese abandoned efforts to retake Guadalcanal and evacuated their remaining forces.
 

Wreckage just off the beach in Guadalcanal
 

I-1 Submarine

First launched in 1924, the I-1 returned to service with the sixth fleet in November 1941, arriving in the Solomons in January 1942 as part of resupply efforts that the Allies called the “Tokyo Express.” In a fateful encounter, the I-1 crossed paths with the Moa and Kiwi. In a pitched battle, the New Zealanders emerged victorious when the Kiwi rammed the submarine three times, forcing the I-1 to run aground.

Sixty-six crew members survived, and when evacuated to Rabaul, their debriefing revealed that the sub’s code books were still on board. Two attempts were made to destroy the sub: the first with depth charges from a Japanese destroyer and then by an air raid. However, US Army officers had already found the code books, enabling the decoding of messages indicating Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of Japanese battle plans, would inspect an airfield on Bougainville. Four P-38 Lightning fighters were dispatched to intercept Yamamoto’s aircraft, resulting in his death, which became a pivotal point in the Pacific War.

The attempts to destroy the I-1, combined with the damage done during the salvage of its high-quality metals, mean that parts of it are no longer recognizable. However, at almost 100 meters (330 feet) in length, it remains a fascinating dive.
 

Much of the wreck of the I-1 submarine is unrecogizable, due to the damage it sustained in battle and also after a “salvage” mission in the 1960s when a depth charge was used to try crack open the hull
 

The top of the I-1 submarine wreck is at around 30 feet while the stern lies at about 80 feet

Final Thoughts

If you love WWII wrecks, then the Master Liveaboards “WWII Wreck Week” trip is a must-do, as the number and variety of recreational diving sites is hard to beat—I have only written about less than half of those I dived! Papua New Guinea also has a variety of WWII wrecks, but the closest thing to the Solomons trip would be Kavieng’s aircraft wrecks, while Truk Lagoon has even more wrecks, but it’s much harder to get to. Personally, I loved the trip and the exposure to a critical part of the Pacific War—and I’m now looking to dive those deeper wrecks using my recently acquired tech diving skills!
 

Make sure to soak up some local culture during your visit to the Solomons, like these traditional dancers at the Florida Islands
 

Originally from the UK, Don Silcock is now an Australian citizen but based from Bali in 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.