Page 175 - Micronesia
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KIKUKAWA MARU 358’ (109m), 3,833-ton Freighter was demol- HOKUYO MARU 354’ (108m), 4,216-ton Passenger-Cargo Ship
ished and sunk by a horrific munitions explosion, which tore her rests upright on an even keel in deep waters at 210’ (63m), with
aft half apart. Her forward half lies on her starboard side at 125’ her deck at 165’ (50m), and superstructure at 130’ (39m) in the
(38m), and her accessible s’ starts at 65’ (20m). The forward holds Fourth Fleet Anchorage. She sports deadly bomb damage port
are full of aircraft supplies and munitions, and her aft is scattered aft and starboard midships, but these holes provide ship ac-
widely. cess. Depth puts this wreck beyond sport diving limits, and ship
peneration at this depth requires training and skill. The helm,
OJIMA 160’ (49m), 812-ton Tategami Class Salvage Tug lies binnacle and telegraph are in open water on deck. The highlight
broken in two in 120’ (36m) of water. She was blasted, bent and within is the engine room, which is reached via the boiler room.
torn apart by the tremendous explosion that rocked and sank the Forecastle has lush marine life.
Kikukawa Maru. Ojima’s own boilers blew up due to the extreme
heat. This is a deep dive with no penetrations. She was also SAN FRANCISCO MARU 384’ (117m), 5,831-ton Passenger-Cargo
used for firefighting duties. Scuba divers check out the propel- Ship is known as “The Million Dollar Wreck” because it is packed
lers, rudder, troop quarters and engine room at the stern. with war stuff, including mines, bombs, munitions, Long Lance
torpedoes, and, best of all, a trio of genuine Japanese bat-
MOMOKAWA MARU 351’ (107m) length, 50’ (15m) beam, 3,820- tle tanks. It also has oil and petrol barrels, aircraft engines,
ton Passenger-Cargo Ship lists severely to port as she lies in 130’ and trucks. Major damage to the stern indicates that she sank
(39m) of water. Her s’structure is at 70’ (21m) and her deck at quickly. She sits upright in water just over 200’ (60m) deep, with
120’ (36m), making it accessible to most skilled sport divers. A the shallowest superstructure at 160’ (48m), and the deck at 175’
crude field gun on a swivel adorns her poop deck, and a second (53m), making this ship well beyond sport diving limits. It is an
gun lies on the sea floor with ammunition. Forward holds are full advanced, technical, deep dive, with highly trained wreck skills
of cargo including aircraft parts, artillery shells, and trucks. Fine required to explore.
china still fills the crew’s quarters and galley. The bridge helm
and engine telegraph are accessible, as is the engine room.
