The Kensho Maru had been heavily damaged during the earlier attack on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. The Kensho had been towed to the Japanese Fourth Fleet supply base in Truk Lagoon for repair, and was unmanned at the time of the surprise attack that sent her to the bottom of the lagoon.

This dramatization was created from material obtained from the National Archive and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland in 2008 as part of my research into the war in the Pacific. This film depicts events surrounding the attack against Truk in February 1944. Operation Hailstone was a surprise fast carrier attack against the Japanese Fourth Fleet supply base in Truk Lagoon. The National Archive and Records Administration and BBC Worldwide CBS News Archive retain all rights to the material in this film.

The reefs of Palau are richly colored and vibrant. The fish are abundant. Encounters with Whitetip Reef Sharks crusing along the wall are frequent. Palau is one of my favorite dive destinations!