The bad news, at least for the moment, is that although there is a dive operation that services these magnificent shipwrecks, the price is way out of reach of all but the richest divers. This is because the wrecks are to be found at the bottom of Bikini Atoll Lagoon.

The three wrecks mentioned above are the 43,500 ton USS Saratoga, a carrier of 880 feet, the 43,581 ton battleship HIJMS Nagato, 708 feet long, and the USS Arkansas, a 31,900 ton, 562 feet long battleship.

As well as these vessels, there are two US destroyers (Anderson and Lamson [sister to USS Tucker at Vanuatu]), two US submarines (Apogon and Pilotfish), one Japanese cruiser (Sakawa) and two heavy transports (Gilliam and Carlisle). For more information about the major wrecks, see the summary table.

All these vessels (and a number of others) were sunk during two atomic tests (the third and fourth ever conducted) that formed Operation Crossroads on 1 July (Able) and 25 July 1946 (Baker).

Despite what you might think, the radiation is not dangerous. A recent study showed that the radiological dose while swimming in the lagoon is essentially zero and the radiological dose for a two week diving visit is estimated at about 1/10 that of living in a US city for two weeks.

The USS Saratoga is almost 100% intact, sitting upright on the bottom with the bridge area only 12 metres below the surface. The flightdeck is about 27 metres down and the sand 54 metres deep. Inside the vessel are aircraft, bombs and other remains. The Arkansas and Nagato are fairly intact, but they are located on their sides and therefore a bit deeper for real internal exploration. All the vessels sunk at Bikini were loaded with armaments, fuel and stores to simulate real wartime situations.

Many claims are made about the largest diveable shipwreck in the world. The SS President Coolidge in Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu is most often put up as the largest. It is certainly the largest easily accessible shipwreck in the world at 21,936 tons and 651 (or 615) feet and able to be done as a shore dive. Recent claims that the Mikhail Lermentov in New Zealand is larger than the Coolidge are not correct. It ship displaces less and is only 175 metres (574 feet) long. The three vessels at Bikini dwarf the Coolidge and Lermentov in terms of displacement and the Saratoga is over 230 feet longer than the Coolidge. If you have ever dived the Coolidge, you can only dream of how big the Saratoga must be! (Note that this was written before the sinking of the USS Oriskany in Florida in mid-2006.

One day soon it may be possible for the general diving public to visit Bikini Atoll at a more reasonable price (currently A$6500 or thereabouts for one week) and dive these huge wrecks. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.

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