| Original caption: “Trapped [Japanese], north of the town of Garapan, attempted to gain refuge by getting to their few ships in Tanapag harbor. On the beach is one [Japanese] who didn’t make the boat.” Tanapag Harbor, on Saipan’s west coast, was used as a fueling and supply station for ships en route to and from the Empire. Though used extensively as a rest and replacement center and as a training area for troops, Saipan lacked the natural facilities of a major naval base. Only a few vessels could find suitable anchorages at Tanapag Harbor. At the harbor were several beached, half-sunken, smoking ships — the results of the preparatory air and naval gunfire bombardment. Also in Tanapag Harbor was tiny, fortified Maniagassa Island. As the 2nd Marine Division moved from Garapan town towards Tanapag Harbor, remnants of the Japanese forces attempted to swim out to the beached and sunken ships during the 1st days of July, attempting to hide there during the battle from the Americans. Artillery and naval gunfire made quick work of the hulks, however. Ships in the harbor include minelayer Ma-101, Ex-HMS Barlight, which was sunk in December 1941 by the United Kingdom Royal Navy and raised by the Imperial Japanese Navy at Hong Kong in September 1942. During the landings, Shosei Maru was bombed by United States Navy aircraft or shelled by warships, resulting in an unknown number of casualties. Shonan Maru was damaged in an airstrike in February 1944 and sunk by June 1944. On July 9, 1944, many Japanese soldiers swam out to the reefs of Tanapag Harbor and defied capture. United States Marine 1st Lieutenant Kenneth J. Hensley, commanding officer of G Company, 6th Marine Regiment, was ordered out with a small flotilla of amphibious tractors (LVTs) to capture or destroy these die-hards. A few surrendered, but most refused to give up. From 1 reef, to which 50 to 60 Japanese were clinging, machine guns opened up on the approaching LVTs. The Americans returned fire, and the force was annihilated. On another reef, a Japanese officer was seen beheading his little band of enlisted men with his sword before he himself was shot down by his would-be captors. While investigating sunken ships in Tanapag Harbor off Saipan, Marines discovered several Japanese hiding in the wreckage and called on them to surrender. Although armed with hand grenades, some Japanese finally relented and swam to a Marine launch. Maniagassa Island was stormed by an amphibious landing on July 12, 1944, with air and artillery support. Only 29 Japanese soldiers were alive to surrender when the 2nd Marine Division landed. Nearly 2 dozen merchant vessels were sunk in Tanapag Lagoon or in deep waters surrounding Saipan during World War II. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1511.jpg |
| Image Size | 842.31 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2932 x 2310 |
| Photographer | Angus J. Robertson |
| Photographer Title | United States Marine Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 5, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Tanapag Harbor |
| State or Province | Saipan |
| Country | Marianas |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-127-N-84864 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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