Post by Neil on Dec 20, 2023 17:46:38 GMT
A strange GE KMZ this time as there is no actual GE images of the subject mater. However you can glean a lot from the locations of the wrecks, and maybe open a rabbit hole or 2 of your own.
I was reading that the USS Saratoga was one of the top dive sites in the world. And that got me thinking, how many Aircraft Carrier Wrecks are reachable by divers?
It turns out there are 3 (HMS Hermes and USS Oriskany are the other 2) and all 3 are regularly in various top 5 dive sites surveys.
So was born my latest Aircraft Carrier KMZ.
There are, by nature of their sinking location and value, less wrecks than there are sinkings.
Quite a few were sunk and then raised. Most were Japanese carriers sunk in harbour in the final months of the war. Most weren't finished as resources and air raids took their toll. It was also the same fate that befell 2 Italian Carriers (Aguila and Sparviero). All these vessels were eventually re-floated and scrapped or scrapped in place.
The one notable exception to this fate was the German Kriegsmarine Graf Zeppelin. She was raised by the Russians and sunk in weapons testing in the Baltic. Found by a Polish Survey team, this fine looking vessel's secrets were finally revealed.
The Graf Zeppelin wasn't the only vessel to succumb to weapons testing. Saratoga and Independence both met their fates at the hands of Nuclear Weapons test Able as part of Operation Crossroads.
The 1st Military ship loss to military action of WW2 was HMS Courageous, an Aircraft Carrier of the Royal Navy and the final Aircraft Carrier sunk was IJN Amagi. She is included in this KMZ because of her being the final Aircraft Carrier sunk in WW2, though she was scrapped in place in between 1946 and 1947.
Other notable wrecks are;
USS America - The largest warship sunk.
Graf Zeppelin - The only Aircraft Carrier sunk twice.
FS Dixmunde and NAe Sae Paulo - neither have a publicly available location and both have been in French Service.
HMS Ark Royal - Lowest number of casualties due to military action, 1.
IJA Akitsu Maru - Highest number of casualties due to military action, 2046.
KMZ file HERE
I was reading that the USS Saratoga was one of the top dive sites in the world. And that got me thinking, how many Aircraft Carrier Wrecks are reachable by divers?
It turns out there are 3 (HMS Hermes and USS Oriskany are the other 2) and all 3 are regularly in various top 5 dive sites surveys.
So was born my latest Aircraft Carrier KMZ.
There are, by nature of their sinking location and value, less wrecks than there are sinkings.
Quite a few were sunk and then raised. Most were Japanese carriers sunk in harbour in the final months of the war. Most weren't finished as resources and air raids took their toll. It was also the same fate that befell 2 Italian Carriers (Aguila and Sparviero). All these vessels were eventually re-floated and scrapped or scrapped in place.
The one notable exception to this fate was the German Kriegsmarine Graf Zeppelin. She was raised by the Russians and sunk in weapons testing in the Baltic. Found by a Polish Survey team, this fine looking vessel's secrets were finally revealed.
The Graf Zeppelin wasn't the only vessel to succumb to weapons testing. Saratoga and Independence both met their fates at the hands of Nuclear Weapons test Able as part of Operation Crossroads.
The 1st Military ship loss to military action of WW2 was HMS Courageous, an Aircraft Carrier of the Royal Navy and the final Aircraft Carrier sunk was IJN Amagi. She is included in this KMZ because of her being the final Aircraft Carrier sunk in WW2, though she was scrapped in place in between 1946 and 1947.
Other notable wrecks are;
USS America - The largest warship sunk.
Graf Zeppelin - The only Aircraft Carrier sunk twice.
FS Dixmunde and NAe Sae Paulo - neither have a publicly available location and both have been in French Service.
HMS Ark Royal - Lowest number of casualties due to military action, 1.
IJA Akitsu Maru - Highest number of casualties due to military action, 2046.
KMZ file HERE
