The transport ships served as breakwaters to protect other ships after the war ended.
In Japan, during an earthquake off Iwo Jima Island, the remains of post-World War II shipwrecks were exposed on its western side. These are transport ships that were captured by the U.S. military during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Seismic activity has exposed the wrecks of 24 ships along the island's shoreline, The Daily Mail reported.
The Battle of Iwo Jima (Iota) in the Pacific began on Feb. 16, 1945, and ended on March 26, 1945, with the U.S. victory over the Empire of Japan. Historians have rated the capture of the island as the bloodiest armed operation for the U.S. Marine Corps. The number of U.S. Army Marines killed and wounded during the first three days of the operation was the highest in the country's military history. About seven thousand Americans were killed during the entire operation. On the Japanese side, 20,000 military personnel were killed.
The island was occupied by the U.S. Armed Forces. In 1968 it was returned to Tokyo. Now Iwo Jima is a military airbase of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and civilians are not allowed to appear here.
Photo: All Nippon News