Talk about transformation. During World War II, in an attack code-named Operation Hailstone, U.S. planes sank dozens of Japanese ships and planes in Truk Lagoon in Micronesia’s Caroline Islands. Time has morphed an underwater graveyard into a coral-festooned habitat for sea life—and a paradise for scuba divers. Gene Hackman—actor, novelist, diver, and former Marine—takes us there. “The ocean preserves history even as it swallows it up,” he writes.

Read about Gene Hackman’s Personal Place of a Lifetime in the November/December 1999 issue of TRAVELER.

TRAVELER staff and guest celebrities choose their favorite destinations in Personal Places of a Lifetime. Check in each week for new picks.