Bikini Facts     Bikini History

The Wrecks of Bikini Atoll

Ships Buoyed at the Bottom of Bikini Lagoon

Anderson


An American destroyer which received ten battle stars during World War II. She served as a carrier screen in the Coral Sea, Midway, the Solomons, Guadalcanal, and Tarawa. She carried 2,929 barrels of fuel oil and 168 barrels of diesel oil and was at 95% of capacity of both fuel and ordnance when she was sunk by ABLE. 348 feet long. (1 buoy)

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXApogon

An American submarine with normal fuel capacity of 54,000 gallons, and an emergency load of 116,000 gallons. Eric Hanauer of Discover Diving commented, "The shadowy silhouette of Apogon's conning tower, completely enveloped by glassy sweepers is one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen underwater." She received five battle stars and was sunk by BAKER. 312 feet long. (1 buoy)

ArkansasXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A 29,000 ton American battleship that survived two world wars had a fuel capacity of 37,779 barrels of fuel oil, 119 barrels of diesel oil, and 4,000 gallons of gasoline. The Arkansas took part in the Presidential Naval Review in the Hudson River, October 14, 1912 and then carried President William H. Taft to the Panama Canal Zone for an inspection of the unfinished canal. On April 22, 1914, she assisted in the occupation of Veracruz, Mexico. In December of 1918 she formed part of the escort carrying President Woodrow Wilson to France. In World War II, the Arkansas escorted convoys across the Atlantic. She remained in European waters for the invasion of Normandy where she performed yeoman service at Omaha Beach, the bombardment of Cherbourg and the invasion of southern France. She then moved to the Pacific to participate in action at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The Arkansas, at rest in Bikini's lagoon in 170 feet of water, received four battle stars for her service in World War II and was sunk by BAKER. 562 feet long. (1 buoy)

Carlisle

A merchant craft named after a county in Kentucky, she had fuel capacity of 9,695 barrels of fuel oil and 375 barrels of diesel oil. She made three voyages to the west coast from Hawaii and Japan and shorter passages among South Pacific islands. She sits upright on the bottom and is guarded by a magnificent school of skip jacks and there is almost always a shark siting on this ship. Fuel and ammunition loads during test Able was 95% capacity. The Carlisle was sunk by the ABLE blast. 426 feet long. (1 buoy).

Lamson

The American destroyer Lamson received five battle stars for service during World War II. Her fuel capacity was 3,600 barrels, her diesel oil capacity was 110 barrels, and she was at 50% capacity for both fuels and ordnance when she was sunk by ABLE. Underwater she appears as a pirate ship. She is a Bikini dive master favorite. 341 feet long. (1 buoy)

Nagato

Japanese Flagship to the Japanese Navy, she was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's floating fortress during Japan's World War II attack on Pearl Harbor.
The 32,720 ton battleship is at rest upside down in 170 feet of water; her bridge is accessible at 150 feet, the hull and monstrous props at 110 feet. The Nagato was built by Kure Naval Dockyard, launched on 11/9/19, and completed on 11/25/20. She was reconstructed in 1934-1936, with torpedo bulges, increased elevation for main armament, aircraft crane, etc. After this refit, Nagato had 10 Kampon boilers, driving 4 sets of Kampon turbines developing 82,300 shaft horsepower (shp) for a speed of 25 knots. Her fuel bunkerage was now 5,650 tons of oil, giving her a radius of 8,650 nautical miles at 16 knots. Her new dimensions were 725' 9" long at the waterline, 113' 6" beam, 32' 2" draught. Her normal displacement was 39,130 tons, 42,850 tons at full load. She carried a crew of 1,368. In June 1944 she was known to be fitted with radar. By October 1944 her armament consisted of 8 x 16"/45, 18 x 5.5"/50 [guns that were later removed], 8 x 5"/40, and 98 x 25mm AA guns. Her displacement had by now increased to 43,581 tons full load, and as a result her max speed was 24.98 knots. By the end of the war she had had her main mast and funnel removed for camouflage purposes, as she was holed up in Sagami Bay near Yokosuka. Fuel and ammunition loads during both ABLE and BAKER tests were, respectively, 15% and 10% of capacity. 708 feet long. (2 buoys)

Pilotfish

An American submarine with normal fuel capacity of 54,000 gallons. Fuel and ammunition loads during test BAKER were 95% of capacity. 5 battle stars, patrolled the Northern Marianas, Bonin Islands, the East China Sea, and the southeast coast of Japan. Featured in ABC's World of Discovery Emmy nominated production about Bikini Atoll, "Forbidden Paradise." 312 feet long. (1 buoy)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXSakawa

Sakawa, a Japanese ship, was built in Sasebo Naval Dockyard, and launched on 4/9/44. Nominal armament 6 x6"/50 (interestingly, these guns were refitted secondary weapons from earlier ships, like the Kongo-class battleships), 4 x 80mm AA, approx. 61 x 25mm AA, 8 x 24" torpedo tubes, 16 depth charges, 1 catapult, and 2 floatplanes. Length 563 feet at the waterline, 571 feet overall, 49' 10" beam, 18' 5" draught. 4 shaft geared turbines from 6 Kampon boilers for 100,000 shp and 35 knots. 1,405 tons fuel oil for a 6,300 nautical mile radius at 18 knots. Sakawa was surrendured to the U.S. at Maizuru in August of 1945, then used for repatriation duties until taken to Bikini where she was sunk by ABLE with an unknown fuel load and apparently no ordnance. 532 feet long as she rests in Bikini's lagoon. (1 buoy)

Saratoga

Commissioned in 1927, an American aircraft carrier 880 feet in length and weighs 39,000 tons, it rests in Bikini's lagoon at a depth of 190 feet. Her bridge is easily accessible at 40 feet, her deck at 90 feet, and the hanger for the helldivers at 125 feet. These Helldivers and bombs are still on display complete with all dials and controls. Sara has a fuel capacity of 63,200 barrels of fuel oil, 249 barrels of diesel oil, and 132,264 gallons of gasoline. Fuel and ammunition loads during test BAKER were 10% of capacity and 67% capacity respectively. She was reported sunk by the Japanese seven times during World War II. She received seven battle stars. 880 feet long. (3 buoys: bow, stem and bridge)

Ships Not Buoyed at the Bottom of Bikini Lagoon
4 - LCT-414
LCT-812
LCT-1114
LCT-1175
LCT-1187
LCT-1237
LOM-60

The aforementioned "L" vessels were landing craft with little known history. Some were sunk in the lagoon, some were towed to sea and sunk after the tests, and at least one was "obliterated."

ARDC-13 - A small repair dock.
Gilliam - A merchant vessel
YO-160 - A concrete oil barge