In 1925 the U.S.S. Saratoga (CV3) was the first United States vessel to be launched specifically as an aircraft carrier. Twenty years later at the end of the Second World War, the Saratoga had survived hits from torpedoes, bombs and kamikaze planes to remain the oldest aircraft carrier in service.
Just one year later in 1946 and surplus to requirements in a slimmed down post war navy, Saratoga formed part of a fleet of American, Japanese and German ships used as targets for "Operation Crossroads", a sequence of atomic bomb tests held at Bikini Atoll in the central Pacific. All of the ships used in the tests were fuelled and armed to represent the actual state of the ships during time of war. In the case of the Saratoga, this included a partial load of aircraft.
Now lying at a depth of 55 metres at the bottom of the Bikini lagoon, the Saratoga is just within the limits of compressed air SCUBA diving. It is a huge shipwreck. At 33,000 tons and 271 metres long, the Saratoga is just longer than the Titanic.
The blast of the "Baker" atomic bomb has crushed the sides of the hull together leaving a folded valley in the rear of the flight deck.
It is through this crack, or through either of the aircraft elevators further forward that divers can enter the Saratoga's hanger deck to see Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive-bombers, Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers and an assortment of live munitions.