Dear Dirty Dozen Team Member,

We hope this email as always finds you well.

Check out our latest Wreck in Depth article, we are confirmed for DEMA 2024, and there is a fresh update to our availability to Bikini Atoll until end of 2026 after the announced closure.

Let’s get to it!

DEMA 2024 LAS VEGAS

If you’re planning to attend this year’s DEMA in Vegas on November 19-22, don’t forget to pop past and say ‘Hello’! We will be at booth 8089, in the Technical Diving Resource Center.

Make sure to stop by and chat about exploration diving in Truk Lagoon, Bikini Atoll, Palau, Solomon & Galápagos Islands. You can book an appointment by clicking the link here.

Aron will also be presenting on Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm - stay tuned for a sneak peek at his presentations in our next Newsletter!

DEMA 2023 PRESENTATION RECORDINGS YT PREMIERE

Our 2 presentations from DEMA 2023 “Pacific Theater - WW2 Wrecks in 8K” and “The Darkest Hours - Six hour struggle to get out of an upside down wreck” are both edited and ready to be published.

We have made the first presentation “WW2 wrecks in 8K” public on our YouTube channel and you can watch the presentation by clicking the link above.

WRECK IN DEPTH

Our Wreck in Depth series continues with a detailed look at Bikini Atoll favorite, the USS Anderson.

USS ANDERSON

The USS Anderson (DD-411) was a Sims-class destroyer that served the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Rear Admiral Edwin Alexander Anderson, the ship played a significant role in several key naval battles.

The Anderson survived the war but met its end as part of Operation Crossroads in Bikini Atoll. Today, it is one of the more intact wrecks in Bikini and is a key dive on any of our expeditions.

At the end of WWI, the Japanese took over the administration of the Marshall Islands and, in anticipation of WWII, increased their military presence in the islands. Due to its strategic location, Kwajalein Atoll in particular became a key Japanese outpost. However, towards the end of WWII in February 1944, American forces took Kwajalein and the Marshall Islands by force. 

In December 1945, President Harry Truman informed the US Forces that nuclear weapon testing would be undertaken “to determine the effect of atomic bombs on American warships. Unluckily for Bikini, its isolation meant it was chosen as the Operation Crossroads test site.

The US testing program advanced swiftly, culminating in 95 target ships placed in Bikini’s lagoon. These targets were to be hit with two rounds of Fat Man plutonium implosion weapons, the same type of nuclear bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. 

The first blast, Able, was dropped from a B-29 aircraft and detonated at an altitude of 158m/518ft at 9 am on the first of July, 1946. The bomb was intended to hit the USS Nevada battleship, however, it missed its target and instead sank the USS Gilham, USS Carlisle, USS Lamson, IJN Sakawa, and the USS Anderson.

Read the full Wreck in Depth article in our latest Dirty Dozen Expeditions blog.

DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO DIVE BIKINI ATOLL

In a previous newsletter we announced that expeditions to Bikini Atoll will be ending in 2026. As such, our existing charters are almost fully booked so we have added extra dates in August 2026 which already are almost sold out now.

Join Mark Powell and #teamdd for your last chance to explore one of the world’s most iconic ship graveyards. Click the photo above to find out more!

Our overall Bikini Atoll availability is as follows:

June 2025 - SOLD OUT - Join waitlist

September 2025 - 2 spots available

June 2026 - 6 spots available

August 2026 - 2 spots available

September 2026 - 2 spots available

Click on this link to learn more about the dates/trip and reserve your spot to Bikini Atoll now before it is too late!

That’s it from us for now. We look forward to some great adventures with you in the years to come and as always, don’t forget, if you are feeling lonely, then we are here to chat Dirty.

Best,

Aron Arngrímsson and the DDE Team