Palau, a small island nation in the western Pacific Ocean, is famous today for its crystal-clear lagoons, dramatic coral reefs, and some of the world’s best wreck diving. Beneath its calm tropical waters, however, lies the legacy of one of the fiercest campaigns of World War II. During the war, Palau was occupied by Japan and became an important military stronghold guarding sea routes between the Philippines and the Japanese Empire. Airfields, naval bases, and supply depots were built throughout the islands, turning Palau into a critical defensive position in the Pacific.

In September 1944, American forces launched the Battle of Palau as part of a broader campaign to retake the Philippines and push Japan back across the Pacific. The fighting centered mainly on the islands of Peleliu and Angaur, but the entire archipelago became a battlefield. Before the landings, U.S. Navy carrier aircraft carried out massive bombing raids against Japanese ships, aircraft, and military facilities around Koror and Malakal Harbor. These attacks devastated Japanese defenses and left dozens of ships and aircraft destroyed beneath the lagoons. Many of the wrecks that divers visit today are direct remnants of those intense air raids and naval battles.

One of the most famous wreck dives in Palau is the Jake Seaplane, a remarkably preserved Japanese floatplane resting in shallow water near Malakal Harbor. The aircraft is an Aichi E13A, known by the Allied reporting name “Jake.” Built by the Aichi Aircraft Company, the E13A was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s primary long-range reconnaissance seaplane during World War II. Designed for scouting missions, the aircraft was used to locate enemy fleets, patrol shipping lanes, direct naval operations, and occasionally carry light bombs for combat missions. Its large pontoons allowed it to take off and land directly on water, making it especially valuable for operations across the Pacific islands where conventional runways were limited.