Agingan Bay |
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Right alongside a golf course,
Agingan Bay is rich in Saipan history. A thousand years ago it
was the site of a large ancient Chamorro village with palm-thatched
huts built on latte stones. The village survived 500 years until
the Spanish military landed on this beach in 1684 and changed
the local culture forever. |
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Before the Spanish military arrived
the Spanish galleon Concepcion sank in 1638 at the point on the
right side of the bay spewing its priceless treasure
into the ocean. Some washed up on shore and pieces of its pottery
can still be found today on Agingan Beach as well as Southern
Invasion
Beach. |
Prior to WWII Agingan Bay was a Japanese farming
village. A Shinto Shrine, stairs, and broken Japanese pottery
is about all that remains from that time.
This beach, same as all beaches
in Saipan, was heavily fortified during WWII. You can enter a
large Japanese bunker and a smaller 20 mm gun bunker. Bullets
from machine gun nests are on a smaller beach on the right side
of the bay. This picture is from perhaps an ammo box that melted
into the rocks. |
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Today Agingan Bay is a beautiful area with
beaches of many kinds, sandy, coral, lava rock. I enjoy exploring
this area and it's only one-tenth of a mile from my house.
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