Beautiful places can also be full of horror. One place like this is Chuuk Lagoon. It is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

An atoll is like island, except its middle is sunk underwater. All you can see is a ring of land. In the center of the land is a shallow lake, called a lagoon.

Chuuk Lagoon was a base for the Empire of Japan during World War II. At that time it was called Truk Lagoon or Truk Atoll. Many of Japan’s best ships were anchored in the lagoon. It was also home to Japanese planes, tanks, and train cars. These vehicles were kept inside the giant ships.

The United States fought against Japan during the war. In 1944, the U.S. military bombed Chuuk Lagoon. They sunk dozens of ships, including the Shinohara. The Shinohara was a submarine that participated in the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. These ships remain at the bottom of the lagoon today.

The sunken ships are known as the Ghost Fleet. They form an underwater graveyard. Many people believe that it is a haunted graveyard.

Chuuk Lagoon is a popular place for divers. They say the Ghost Fleet is beautiful, but also spooky. Explorers can swim up close to the ships, which are about 50 feet below the surface. The water is very clear and does not have much of a current, so the ships are well preserved.

Divers at the Ghost Fleet can see weapons, gas masks, radios, and even human remains. But they need to beware. They just might see a ghost or two!