Volcano vs Ship

September 24, 1952 - It was on this day off the coast of Japan that a research vessel named the Kaiyo Maru No. 5 was destroyed by the sudden eruption of an underwater volcano.

The ship had travelled from Tokyo to investigate the Bayonnaise Rocks volcano that had erupted a day earlier. The underwater volcano had formed a temporary island about 100 yards wide, but it had disappeared on the 23rd.

Apparently the Kaiyo Maru No. 5 came too close to the action and was blown apart when another eruption surfaced. Pieces of the ship were later found with chunks of pumice and lava embedded into the wreckage.

All 31 lives on the ship were lost.