The essays below will help you to understand the goals and objectives of the mission and provide additional context and information about the places being explored and the science, tools, and technologies being used.
March 24 - April 14, 2018 | By Toni Carrell
At 0800 on September 15, 1944, the first waves of men in 73 amphibious tractors started for the beaches of Peleliu. Within the first hours, the Third Armored Amphibious Tractor Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps lost two officers, 78 enlisted were wounded, 26 were killed, four were missing, and Marine casualties exceeded 500. Learn more about where the team on this project is going and how they plan to conduct a comprehensive, systematic remote sensing search for the material remains from the Battle of Peleliu.
Read moreBy Toni Carrell
After the U.S. entered World War II (WWII) in 1941, military planners quickly developed an island-hopping strategy for a westward push across the Pacific to the Japanese home islands. By the fall of 1944, after the successful capture of the Marianas Islands, the next target was the Palauan chain in the Caroline Islands. Operation Stalemate II, the invasion of Palau, was the last major obstacle to the Philippines and Peleliu was the key.
Read moreBy Shawn Arnold
The Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT), also known as the amphibious tractor (Amtrac, Amptrac), was essential to U.S. forces during World War II in the Pacific Theater. The vessel possessed the ability to travel both in and out of the water and was one of the first true amphibious vehicles.
Read moreBy John Burns
Coral reefs are architecturally complex three-dimensional (3D) habitats, whose structure is intrinsically linked to the ecosystem biodiversity, productivity, and function. Unfortunately, the field of coral ecology has been limited to using two-dimensional (2D) planar survey techniques for studying coral reef composition and structure. Although this conventional approach is simple to implement, it fails to capture or quantify the intricate structural complexity of corals that influences habitat facilitation and biodiversity. A 3D approach enables accurate measurements of architectural complexity, topography, rugosity, volume, and other structural characteristics that significantly affect biodiversity and abundance of reef organisms.
Read moreBy Jennifer McKinnon
For decades maritime archaeologists relied heavily on simply pencil, Mylar (underwater paper), and measuring tapes to carefully measure and record sites underwater by hand. However, within the last five years, our field has been rapidly changing and adopting emerging digital technologies to quickly, accurately, and completely record archaeological sites.
Read moreBy Madeline Roth
At Peleliu, both Japanese and American forces relied on the island’s terrain in their decision making. The physical landscape—from the cave systems to ridgelines—played a vital role in the movement of troops and resources across the island. Many of these terrestrial terrain features have been well documented by archaeologists, leading to an in-depth understanding of the battle on the ground.
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