Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum

Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum is a museum in Chuuk State, in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is the first museum to be established on the island.

Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum
Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum
Named afterKimiuo Aisek
FormationSeptember 13, 2014 (2014-09-13)
TypeNon-governmental
PurposeUnderwater heritage
Coordinates07°24′47″N 151°50′39″E
Websitewww.truk-lagoon-dive.com

Background

The museum opened on 13 September 2014 and is located next to the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop in Neauno village, Weno.[1] It is named after Kimiuo Aisek, a diving entrepreneur, who opened the first dive shop in Chuuk.[2][3][4]

Collections and research

The museum's collection focuses on artifacts relating to the Second World War, many of which have been recovered by divers exploring wreck sites.[1] Chuuk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan's main base in the South Pacific. On 17 February 1944, US Forces launched Operation Hailstone which destroyed Japanese merchant ships, light naval cruisers and 265 aircraft. The legacy of the attack made "Truk lagoon the biggest graveyard of ships in the world".[5] It was witnessed by Kimiuo Aisek when he was young.[6]

The museum displays the bell recovered from the ship Sapporo Maru.[7] Shell casings and propellers are on open display outside the museum.[7] Other objects on display include ceramics, gas masks and water bottles, each displayed with the wreck they have been collected from.[7]

Closely associated with the 'underwater museum' of the fifty-three shipwrecks which surround Chuuk, the museum is a significant location for the underwater cultural heritage of the Federated States of Micronesia.[8] The museum has partnered on several publications exploring the history of Second World in Chuuk, as well as diving history there.[9]

In addition to its focus on Second World War history, the museum also has a display of Chuukese ethnographic material.[10]

References
  1. Post, Dianne Strong | Special to The Guam Daily. "Internationally known, Chuukese-owned dive shop going strong past 45 years". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  2. "WWII in the Pacific, Operation Hailstone - Truk Lagoon ➡ NEW WEBSITE". bluelagoondiveresort.com. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  3. "Truk Lagoon Interesting Facts". Fly & Sea Dive Adventures. 2016-06-07. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  4. Center, Pacific News (2014-02-16). "VIDEO: Chuuk Marks 70th Anniversary of "Operation Hailstone", WW II Battle That Left Legacy of Underwater Monuments Beneath the Lagoon". PNC News First. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  5. Trumbull, Robert (1972-04-30). "The Graveyard Lure of Truk Lagoon". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  6. Gourlay, Graeme. "Chuuk: Wreck Diving Paradise". DIVE Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  7. Edney, Joanne. "Lust for rust : wreck divers and the management of underwater cultural heritage". researchportal.scu.edu.au. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  8. "National Consultation on the Underwater Cultural Heritage Safeguarding held in Chuuk | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  9. Marriott, Andrew. Legends Beneath the Waves Vol. 1: Truk Lagoon. Fata Morgana.
  10. "Kimiuo Aisek". 2014-11-13. Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
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