The activity of the underwater volcano Fukutoku-Okanoba, located five kilometers from the Japanese island of Iōtō, formerly known as Iwo Jima, has caused dozens of sunken ships to appear on the surface during World War II. The eruption at this point of the Ogasawara Islands, produced in August, caused the creation of an islet of volcanic material and the refloating of these boats, as can be seen in the video broadcast by the All-Nippon News chain, with images recorded by a team that has flown over the area. Despite speculation about the origin of the ships, several British and Japanese media suggest that the boats that have returned to the surface were actually Japanese ships requisitioned by the Americans after their victory in the crucial battle of Iwo Jima in February of 1945, and that could have been used as a breakwater for the construction of a strategic port on the island.
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