Before operations Hailstone, the pacific was already on fire. Here are some events which happened before operation Hailstone

Task Force 58 played an extremely important role during the Pacific battles, find you more here about the task force and it's mayor actors. 

Built in 1938 as a refrigerated cargo ship but requisitioned by the IJN during WW2. On jaunuary 1944 she was re-rated as an auxiliary transport. On september 1943 she was already hit by a torpedo fired by the submarine Permit, and returned to Japan for repairs. than in December 1943 she was hit by torpedos dropped by planes from the USS Yorktown and suffered minor damage, after which she steamed to Truk lagoon to get this fixed. She met her faith on the 18th of February during operation Hailstone. 

This is your Project description. Provide a brief summary to help visitors understand the context and background of your work. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start.

This is your Project description. A brief summary can help visitors understand the context of your work. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start.

Sankisan Maru (Captured by teh IJN in 1942) was a 6000 tons general cargo vessel and was mainly used for transporting rice and other bulk cargo from pre-war Indo-China to Japan. She sank on 18 February 1944 after being hit by a torpedo or a bomb which caused an explosion midship, and the resulting fire caused possibly the ordnance on board to further explode, evidenced that the stern lays away from the main wreck. It has been nicknamed the bullet wreck, as evidenced by the massive amount of bullets in the holds. 

One of the tankers in Truk Lagoon. Built in 1939 by the Kawashi Jyuko. company, measuring 150m long with a beam of 20m. She was requisitioned by IJN in 1941. The vessel was one of the eight supporting tanker vessels during the Pearl Harbour attack. 

This is your Project description. Provide a brief summary to help visitors understand the context and background of your work. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start.