As we stand on the western-directed seaplane ramp at the Continental Hotel/Neauwo, let's take a look around us. We will sweep from 9 oclock to 3 oclock, supposing we are at the center of that 180 degrees of circle. As we start at 9 oclock, a grand site looms. It's Dublon (Tonowas) only 8 miles away. What a channel. It looks benign from here, but in a 14 foot open boat with 6-8 foot swells, it's a trip and a half. There at 11 oclock is Fefan island, just about the same distance away. They grew a lot of vegetables there during the war. Fefan means woman, and the outline does look like a woman laying down on her back. About 12 oclock is Udot and there at 1-2 oclock 17 miles across the lagoon is the western side of the Lagoon, Tol. But what's this at 2:30? There's something in the water, about 1/2 mile away.

It's the wing wreckage of 2 PBM Martins. They were anchored there and during the typhoon of 46 were destroyed. The gull-wings were apparent, even from 1969 thru 81. They are about 1/4 mile or less off shore when standing directly east of them. Let's go there and see what we can find on the shore.

Now, as you know, there is a coastline to that map I drew for you. It entends all the way from the left side of the map at Neauo to the right side of the map the modern airport. At no time is the road very far from it, but walking down the whole coast line is possible too. Let's set off from Neauo, going south in the directgion of Boat Pool.

Down the shore, only about 1/8 mile from the hotel is an inlet/outlet of fresh/seawater. At hi tide you are in about knee deep water. Just beyond that, why here's the whole nose section of one of the PBM's. It is the model with radome above the cockpit. It is large enough to enter, but stripped of about everything. I will be sending you pics of it, and in Ghost Ships of Truk Lagoon, there is also a good photo of it. A dive at those wing sites in the water might yield stuff.

Looking at the map, between Risa's and Nemete village, on the inland side of the road is a very nice high school. There is a huge grove of mango trees up behind them. They are extremely old, having been there in the 1850's, which is where the first missionaries to Truk settled. That is why the school is there til this day. In those mango trees, two Zeros were shot down and crashed during the war. I was told they both burned. Some evidence is found in the fact that at two homes nearby, one on this side of the road, one on that, and visible from the road are the props from the two planes. (Zero's with spinners?? Hmm, might be some other model-locals refer to them as
sentoki).Both are three-bladed and have spinners on them. These props are not more that 10-20 feet from the road, so right out in the open, stuck in the ground so as to form a "Y". I never went to the crash site, but several prople pointed out the grove to me. Easy to see, the trees are huge and grow up the hill from the high school. I can't remember the schools name. It has railings on the second floor that make it distinguished looking.

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