Bikini Atoll · Marshall Islands · Wreck
USS Saratoga
Helldivers still parked in the hangar of a sunken carrier
Area photo: Unknown author · Public domain
USS Saratoga came through the Able airburst at Bikini in July 1946 and was sunk three weeks later by the Baker underwater shot, settling upright on the floor of the lagoon in 190 ft (58 m) of water. She is the only aircraft carrier divers can reach, and reaching her takes a self-sufficient liveaboard charter and staged decompression.
Also known as USS Saratoga (CV-3), CV-3.
Where it is and how deep
11.5814° N, 165.4986° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Three buoys mark the ship, on the bow, the stern and the bridge, and the bridge is the usual way in: the island structure stands at 40 ft (12 m), shallow enough to get your bearings on before the dive proper begins. From there the flight deck opens out at 90 ft (27 m) and runs 270.7 m into the blue in both directions, far more than one dive covers, so teams agree on the section they intend to see before they get in the water.
Dropping through into the hangar brings you to 125 ft (38 m), where Helldivers are still on display with their dials and controls in place, and bombs with them. Below that the hull continues to the lagoon floor at 190 ft (58 m). Saratoga settled upright after the Baker shot rather than rolling, so the orientation you meet underwater is the one she had at anchor and the ship reads as a ship rather than as a field of plate.
Everything past the flight deck commits you to decompression. Bikini is run as a technical destination and the charters carry a deco-bar to meet the requirements for diving here, so the ascent is a scheduled hang on staged gas rather than a safety stop. The water sits at 27 to 29 °C all year and lagoon visibility runs from over 30 m to 40 or 60 m on the clearest days, which is what makes a hull this size legible instead of a series of disconnected fragments.
The wreck
- Vessel
- USS Saratoga
- Type
- Aircraft carrier
- Length
- 270.7 m (888 ft)
- Built
- 1927
- Sunk
- 1946
- Cause
- Sunk by the Baker underwater nuclear test during Operation Crossroads
- Lies
- Upright on the floor of Bikini lagoon in 58 m, bridge at 12 m and flight deck at 27 m
Saratoga was commissioned on 16 November 1927 and ended her career as a target. In mid-1946 she was one of the ships anchored at Bikini for Operation Crossroads, and she survived the first test with little damage. She was moored close to the Baker underwater shot on 25 July and stayed upright and outside the spray column, but close enough to be drenched by radioactive water; the shock wave opened leaks in her hull and she sank seven and a half hours after the detonation.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Bikini Atoll: Charters run in the calmer Apr-Nov window; remote crossing logistics and permit scheduling limit trips outside this period. Residual radiation is monitored and considered low for dive visits.
Know before you go
- The flight deck is at 27 m and the hangar at 38 m, so every dive here is a decompression dive: charters carry a deco-bar, and gas planning and a long hang are part of the plan.
- Unexpended ordnance and oil remain inside the hulls of the Bikini wrecks, and the agreement transferring them to the Marshall Islands warns that salvage or other use of the vessels could be hazardous.
Dive videos
Dive the wreck of USS Saratoga (CV-3), Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands · GlostaKenshi on YouTube
Diving Inside the USS Saratoga to visit the Dentist Office · Becky Kagan Schott on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the USS Saratoga?+
The bridge stands at 40 ft (12 m), the flight deck at 90 ft (27 m) and the hangar with its Helldivers at 125 ft (38 m). The ship rests upright on the floor of Bikini lagoon in 190 ft (58 m) of water.
Do you need technical training to dive the USS Saratoga?+
Yes. Bikini is run as a technical diving destination and charters carry a deco-bar to meet the atoll's diving requirements, so dives on Saratoga are planned around staged decompression rather than a safety stop.
How do you get to the USS Saratoga?+
Only by liveaboard. Bikini is open to completely self-sufficient vessels that obtain prior approval, and the charter must also pay for a diver and two local government council representatives to accompany it. The dive season runs May through October.
Sources
- Bikini Atoll Dive Tourism Information — Bikini Atoll Divers
- USS Saratoga (CV-3) — Wikipedia
- Operation Crossroads — Wikipedia
- Bikini Atoll — Wikipedia
- Bikini Atoll liveaboard diving — Master Liveaboards
In The Logbook
- What is decompression sickness (the bends)?Body & health · 18 min read
- Do you need a safety stop? What it buys youBody & health · 11 min read
- How long to wait before flying after divingBody & health · 8 min read
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- DPV diving: what an underwater scooter changesGear & kit · 10 min read
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