Monday, March 2, 2009

Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Sunday, March 1, 2009 – SAIPAN, capital of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Saipan is the fastest-growing island in Micronesia with golf courses, holiday resorts and duty-free shopping. It is 13 miles long and five miles wide, is self-governing but its citizens hold U.S. passports and trade in U.S. dollars. Population is approx. 70,000 and there are approx. 15 islands with some of the best beaches in Micronesia, many protected by coral barrier reefs. Saipan is also the site of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the earth’s oceans at 38,635 feet. English, Chamorro and Carolinian are the official languages and Japanese and Korean are widely spoken. The constitution came into operation in January 1978, and allows for an executive Governor and a bi-cameral legislature consisting of an 18-seat House of Representatives and nine-member Senate.

Saipan has virtually no tree line because the island was heavily bombed during WWII. Garapan, the largest town, was leveled during the war and has been redeveloped. The island is probably best known to Westerners for its role in WWII. Victory in the Pacific hung on the outcome of the battle for the Marianas, and it was in Saipan that the decisive battle for the Pacific offensive took place. After days of bombing, shelling and strafing the island, U.S. forces landed on June 15, 1944 and fought for three tough weeks to wrest Saipan from the Japanese. More than 28,000 Japanese soldiers perished in the battle, while nearly 3,500 Americans were lost.

At. Banzai Cliff, many Japanese jumped to their deaths, rather than facing capture, following the final orders of Lt. Gen. Saito, who said, “Whether we attack or whether we stay where we are…as it says in Senjinkun (Battle Ethics), I will never suffer the disgrace of being taken alive.” Allied soldiers would later call Banzai Cliff “Hara Kiri Gulch.” Maj. Robert Sheeks, who witnessed hundreds of people, including families committing suicide, later wrote, “There was death all around the place. You really think the world is coming to an end.”

+++++++++++++++++++++

We were up early to gaze across the Saipan Channel and onto the island of Tinian, an island just south of Saipan. We could clearly see the waves crashing against the steep cliffs. From San Francisco to Tinian began the journey of “Little Boy”, a four-ton bomb. Loaded aboard the Enola Gay, an American B-29 aircraft and with a crew of 12, it took off at 2:45 AM on August 6, 1945 and headed for Hiroshima. It was dropped at 9:15 AM and exploded in the air above the city, forming a fireball that quickly mushroomed into a dark-grey cloud over 3 miles wide and 33,000 feet high. More than 75,000 people perished from the explosion, beginning the age of atomic warfare.
The second atomic bomb loaded on Tinian was a 4.5 ton plutonium bomb named “Fat Man”. It was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 (we visit Nagasaki on March 5).

The waters were crystal clear as we gazed into the Philippine Sea -- incredible shades of blues and turquoises. A gorgeous reef encircled the city of Garapan, the largest city on the island. Even Tahiti has met her match in this island! What beautiful, beautiful beaches and seas! Just leave me on the beach here for a few days and I think I could really enjoy “island life”.

We docked and Thrifty rental car pick us up. A very nice Toyota Corolla and we were four, total. $42 for the day’s touring! We had the entire day to explore so we headed south. The first stop was the American Memorial Park, which is run by the National Parks Service. (What a cushy assignment!) This is a living museum with Japanese bunkers, pillboxes, anti-aircraft emplacements, fuel storage tanks and a wonderful indoor with diaries of American and Japanese soldiers, photographs and diagrams of the battles. You looked out on the Philippine Sea from Micro Beach and nearby is a bird habitat. We drove along the Beach Road and saw two Japanese tanks marooned in the shallow waters of the sea. They are still out there!! And there was a tank near the walking path by the beach. Trees now grow through the openings.

Saipan is only 1250 miles from Tokyo and thus became a vital Japanese administrative, supply and communications center. The 2nd Marines took Garapan and then the 4th Marines captured Aslito Airfield on June 18. General Saito was then forced to withdraw to form defensive lines in the north and in the island’s central highlands. To capture Mt. Tapotchau, the U.S. Marine units attacked the most heavily defended Japanese positions. These areas came to be called “Purple Heart Ridge” and the “Valley of Death”.

We stopped for some necessary shopping at a drug store and grocery store combination called Joe Ten. I enjoy seeing the local products and we bought a bag of chips – but these were green pea snacks! They looked like cheese curls but were long and slender green sticks! Very tasty and only $0.40!

We continued down the road and came to the airport. A wonderfully small and friendly place with many bunkers around the area. The Saipan Red Cross is now housed in one. There is one near the runway, actually within the runway fence. Near the Control Tower, we found a HUGE bunker for aerial bombs (the size of a gymnasium). A “No Entry” sign did not stop us (this IS a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know!) and we saw the overhead tracks which pulled the bombs through the shelter. The doors were at least a foot thick and 15 feet high. I was surprised that all the bunkers were above ground. I peeped into a few of them to find several doors (and spiders so that delayed my progress further!) leading to small rooms. The entire area was littered with tanks and guns. It is very hard to imagine the horrible deaths and terrible destruction which occurred on this island when you visit under perfect weather conditions…sunshine, no clouds, strong breeze and friendly people. Oh, how time can change an environment.

We continued up Middle Road on the west side of the island, to Banzai Cliff (Puntan Sabaneta), one of the places where hundreds of Japanese civilians jumped to their deaths as the Americans were taking over. Whole families lined up in order of age. The next oldest brother or sister pushed each child over the edge, until the mother pushed the oldest child and the father pushed his wife before running backwards over the cliff himself. Although U.S. solders dropped leaflets and shouted though loudspeakers that those who surrendered would not be harmed, the mass suicides were deemed preferable to capture and presumed torture. There are many, many memorials along the cliff.

The Last Japanese Command Post is where the Japanese Imperial Army readied themselves for their final desperate battle against American invasion forces. Lt. General Saito committed Hara-kiri, thrusting his sword into his stomach while his aide shot him in the head. Guns, torpedoes and tanks have been placed on the lawn below the concrete bunker, which served as the command post. The bunker is built into the rock face and is very cleverly concealed.

Suicide Cliff (Laderan Banadero) is 2400 feet above the command post, another site for Japanese suicides. Today, there were beautiful views of the northern tip of the island. Nearby is the Grotto, a collapsed limestone cavern with a pool of cobalt-blue seawater filled by three underwater passageways. There were 100 steep concrete stairs down to the water and it was a huge cavern that must be an incredible place to dive! The tunnels lead to the open sea. Bird Island, is a rocky limestone islet close to shore and a wildlife sanctuary for brown noddies and other sea birds. The view from the top was drop-dead gorgeous. Blues, turquoises, the protected lagoon, the white sandy beach…oh boy it was a spectacular view down the coastline. I hope the pictures give it justice.

With the island’s capture, the Americans penetrated the inner defenses of the Japanese Empire and began the final phase of the War. American intelligence analysts gained literally tons of secret and sensitive Japanese documents that revealed much about Japanese military planning and strategy, and aided in the decoding and interpretation of Japanese communications. More importantly, Saipan and the other islands of the Marianas became the prime launching platform for airborne attacks using the American B-29 bomber against the Japanese home islands.

During this incredible day of touring, we ate junk. Terrible to write, I know, but we enjoyed our McDonald’s milkshakes and potato chips! Sometimes you can get “full up” of rich foods and it was a refreshing change to just munch on snacks! We stopped at a hotel for a quick tour and I ran into the sea but the beach was all coral! And I did not have shoes!!! Imagine me walking tentatively among the coral… but I eventually flopped myself into the sea. And it was glorious! Warm waters and I did eventually find a sandy bottom. Beautiful beach!
We headed back to the ship and we had more singers and dancers to see us off, as this was a maiden call for the Queen Victoria. We were told there are only four-five cruise ships a year that call on Saipan and we definitely consider ourselves very lucky for this port of call.