Volcanic activity raises Japanese island, exposing sunken Second World War ships

Iwo Jima is located on the volcanic archipelago of Ogasawara

The black beach on Iwo To, formerly known as Iwo Jima, was stormed by thousands of U.S. Marines Feb. 19, 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Many relics of the war remain in the waters and scattered among the sands.Show less

An undersea volcano and related tectonic activity near the Ogasawara island chain in Japan has raised the island of Iwo Jima, exposing a fleet of partially sunken Second World War ships.

Aerial footage from the Japanese All-Nippon News Network reported the strange phenomenon on Monday.

The ghostly fleet of wrecks, which can often be seen partially submerged, now appear beached on the small volcanic island’s black sandy beaches.

The island, the name of which translates to “sulphur island” was the site of a battle in February 1945, when more than 100,000 US soldiers fought 20,000 Japanese defenders over its volcanic terrain and the imposing Mt Suribachi.

Only 216 Japanese soldiers were captured alive, following the wartime Imperial Japanese tradition of refusing to surrender, believing that capture by enemy forces was highly dishonourable.

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  US marines of the Fifth Division, raise the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, Japan, on February 23, 1945. AP

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  Explosions rock the Iwo Jima shore during the pre-landing bombardment on February 19, 1945. Reuters

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  A wave of US marines from the Fourth Division storms Iwo Jima as another boat full of servicemen approaches on February 19, 1945. Reuters

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  US marines of the Fifth Division move inland off the landing beach after their arrival on Iwo Jima, on February 19, 1945. Reuters

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  US marines of the Seventh Regiment wait to move inland on Iwo Jima soon after going ashore, on February 19, 1945. Reuters

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  US marines of the Fifth Division inch their way up a slope towards Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, on February 19, 1945. Reuters

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  US marines with the Fourth Division fire on enemy positions from the black sands of an Iwo Jima beach, on February 1945. Reuters

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  A US marine flamethrower operator with K Company goes over the top to assault a Japanese pillbox on Iwo Jima's second airfield on February 1945. Reuters

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  A US marine flame thrower operator in action, covered by a pair of riflemen, on Iwo Jima, February 1945. Reuters

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  A US Marine surveys the shattered landscape while hunting for remaining Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, March 1945. US National Archives. Reuters

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  US Marine rocketeers attack Japanese positions on Iwo Jima in support of a leatherneck advance, on March 23, 1945. Getty Images

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  Wrecked US Marine vehicles litter an Iwo Jima beach, in 1945. Reuters

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  Damaged aircraft on the flight deck of the 'USS Saratoga' after direct hits by Japanese bombs off Iwo Jima during the Second World War. Getty Images

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  Japanese prisoners of war captured in the battle for Iwo Jima Island. Getty Images

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  US marines raise the American flag on Mount Suribachi on the Iwo Jima island, in 1945. Reuters

After the battle, US forces attempted to create a harbour on the island as a launching pad for a potential invasion of Japan, sinking a number of captured Japanese cargo ships to form a breakwater for the harbour. The effort failed, but the broken hulls of the ships remain, some of the last remnants of a grim struggle to control the Pacific.