DIVING TRUK LAGOON
368' (112m), 4,739-ton Passenger-Cargo Ship was built in 1942 and carried troops and aviation gasoline drums. On February 18, 1944 a foursome of attack aircraft from USS Bunker Hill and USS Monterey circled Truk Lagoon and came up on Tol Island from the south with the Hanakawa Maru in their sites. The first torpedo hit her midships and ignited her aviation fuel into a massive explosion. In a moment there was nothing left except burning fuel. Two more torpedoes were expended on her, although they weren't needed, and a fourth torpedo missed and hit the island, burning a fuel dock and a church. Fortunately, the priest was being held captive on Udot Island and escaped the inferno. 216 crewmen and soldiers were killed aboard the ship.
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Diving Truk Lagoon
