Some live and spent ammunition remains on the reefs. In addition to the shipwrecks, many of which were armed with deck guns or carried ammunition for the war effort, some excess artillery and small arms ammunition was dumped into the lagoon after the war. This page just shows a few pieces of ordnance that were spotted on reefs. The shell immediately below was about 3 inches in diameter. The steel head was mostly corroded away while the brass casing was reasonably intact. Presumably the steel head acted like the sacrificial zincs used on metal boat hulls and engines kept in the water.
Some small arms ammunition (50 caliber?) is still bundled together in its original packaging.
These are larger shells.
In one area called the "Shell Gardens" artillery shells can be found "growing" out of the reef. Apparently when these were dumped off barges above, the heavier heads stuck into the bottom with the shell casing pointed upwards.
Shells in the Garden are often covered with colorful sponges or corals.
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