Early this year a king tide lifted a shipwreck off the reef at Betio, Tarawa’s westernmost islet, and flung it ashore, piercing a seawall. There it has stayed. The ship has an ironic name ...

"The capture of Tarawa knocked down the front door to the ... The amphibious tractors that took the Marines ashore had trouble with the seawall, leaving them stuck on the beach and vulnerable ...