Abstract
Dive Palau: The Shipwrecks is the seventh volume in a series of books on regional shipwrecks by Rod Macdonald. Macdonald has extensive experience diving many deep-water wrecks internationally, and this volume displays his breadth of knowledge of the numerous ship and plane wrecks scattered around the war theatre of the Pacific. Palau is known as a haven for divers, with a huge concentration of shipwrecks, particularly from the World War II period, which compares favourably with the other similar Pacific Island conflict regions such as Rabaul (PNG) Truk/Chuuk Lagoon (Micronesia) and Solomon Islands.
The volume is divided into two sections. Book One: War begins with a succinct and accurate condensed history of the events leading up the conflict periods of the region, although some facts (including the involvement of the Royal Australian Navy and HMAS Australia I in clearing German occupation in the Pacific during World War I) are overlooked. However, this precis of historical events offers a concise understanding of the events that presaged the lead up to World War II, (including a summary of the sphere of the Japanese influence in this period). It then predominantly examines the historical and subsequent archaeological evidence of the Fast Carrier raid against the Palaus codenamed Operation Desecrate, which took place on 30–31 March 1944, and the subsequent massive loss of shipping in these areas. These events set the scene for later in-depth histories of individual wrecks and other sites in the section entitled Book Two: The Shipwrecks of Palau. The book does not attempt a complete listing of all wrecks around the Palauan islands, or those salvaged, but recognizes a gap in the current historical resources and very adequately fills it.
The authors have clearly dedicated large amounts of time to documenting and recording the underwater sites, which is no mean feat when many of the wrecks lie in depths greater than 30 metres! This is particularly evident from the three-dimensional isometric sketches undertaken by Rob Ward, which innovatively use the modification of historical ships’ photos as a basis to model onsite archaeological observations of each wreck. These images are of great utility for maritime archaeologists, historians and enthusiasts alike, as they provide realistic (though in some cases admittedly slightly stylized) interpretations of each site that are of great value for understanding the site as a whole and subsequent site formation processes (and show great advances on the founding techniques used by John Riley to document Australian shipwrecks).
This section provides detailed descriptions on the depth, conditions and hazards of each site, along with detailed interpretations of prominent features across each wreck, which are liberally illustrated with both historical and underwater photographs throughout, demonstrating the extent of intensive documentation undertaken by the author’s team. Accordingly this book provides a valuable guide for any divers and avocational/professional archaeologists/maritime historians intent on visiting this region, or for those intent on understanding the effects of naval battles as evidenced by archaeological recording. Not only does it cover the wrecked warships of the area, but there is also a smaller section in the book which also investigates crashed and downed aircraft sites associated with the wartime operation.
It is notable that many diving guides often show a callous disregard for World War II shipwreck sites, especially from their victims’ perspective, where human remains or other relics are often treated with great indifference when they are handled, photographed or, worse, removed as trophies. The author is to be commended for the mature attitude he displays to the significance of the wrecks as monuments to World War II and their role in Paluan history. The author’s request for respect for the human remains that are still aboard, and the need for a Permit system for diving and controlling access to the sites is to be fully applauded, as it demonstrates a responsible approach towards what are in many cases grave sites. Furthermore, given the economic importance of these wrecks as tourist attractions, this approach also ensures that these wrecks will remain intact for all future visitors in perpetuity.
The book provides a potential valuable basis for the implementation of an underwater cultural heritage management program to protect these highly significant submerged sites, and with a growing interest internationally in underwater maritime theatres of conflict, it provides a valuable comparative study for similar Pacific Island battle sites (e.g. Guam, Saipan, Solomon Islands, PNG etc).
Although the book is well written, many researchers may find the lack of in-text references for citations and historical photos frustrating, especially when searching for further sources to validate and/or follow up on cited facts. This is unfortunate, as despite what appears to be very thoroughly researched tome, it opens the author’s works to question as facts cannot be easily verified or sourced. The maps provided in the volume could have benefitted from a scale bar and legends (especially pp. 10 and 12, whose maps relied on legends which were split between later pages, which the reader does not discover until later on). Maps of other places mentioned in text (e.g. Ponape, Caroline and Marshall Islands) would have been beneficial. There is a marked lack of actual GPS locations within the volume, which although it may be annoying for those wanting to visit the sites may also be a deliberate ploy by the author to ensure protection of the wrecks.
Although the style of the volume was very informal in some places, the purpose of the book is to give divers and maritime enthusiasts concise information to be able to understand the context and respect the wrecks, and in this regard the book has well achieved that purpose. This volume does not profess to be an academic volume, but is aimed at a diving audience. Despite this, and in fact because of it, this is a well-researched and readable volume, which presents a soundly considered introduction for those interested in the World War II history. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in increasing their knowledge of Palau’s history and the Pacific conflict, or the archaeology of deep-water warship sites.