Page 195 - Micronesia
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UJIKAWA MARU - The Fujikawa Maru was originally built in 1938 cargo holds, engine room, passage ways and swim-throughs and
can easily hold its own against any other world-class shipwreck.
F for the Toyo Kaiun Kisen Kaisha and was requisitioned by the Under the water the remains of the ship are surprisingly intact,
even after almost 70 years, all the surfaces are completely covered
Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II for use as an armed in life and the colors of the soft and hard corals are amazing with
aircraft transport or ferry. She was sunk in Truk Lagoon during a great array of fish life, for the wreck-lovers, this boat has eve-
Operation Hailstone and is now a leading wreck diving site for rything you could possibly hope for on a great wreck dive. Large
scuba divers. The Fujikawa Maru was requisitioned in 1940 by the open holds are easy to access and naturally lit, they reveal interest-
Japanese Navy, and was based in Indo-China under the command ing artefacts, including floors carpeted with ammo and medicine
of the 11th Fleet. She saw service in the Battle of Midway. On 12 bottles, sake bottles, crockery, gas masks and the remains of boots
September 1943 she was hit by a torpedo fired by the U.S. Subma- i.e. soles. There are also zero fighter parts and an armored vehicle.
rine Permit, and returned to Japan for repairs. Subsequently on 5 At the stern and port side there are large machine guns, still in
December 1943 she was hit by torpedo bombers from the USS Yor- place, on their mounts but heavily concreted by the years spent
ktown suffering minor damage. From thence she was taken to Truk underwater. There is plenty to explore inside the wreck such as
Lagoon (now Chuuk Lagoon) in the Federated States of Micronesia, the engine room during one of the dives. Inside the space is quite
to undergo repairs. On 17–18 February 1944 she was hit repeat- tight; originally built for Japanese mariners. The engine room itself
edly by US bombers and torpedo bombers as part of Operation is quite spacious, if you’re a scuba diver that is, as it has a high
Hailstone, before she finally sank on 18 February at approximately ceiling there is room enough for several divers to float around and
7.15am. The Fujikawa Maru is regarded as the best scuba diving take in the scene. It’s quite a strange experience to ascend through
site in Truk Lagoon. Amongst the more striking features on the the room past elevated walk-ways and view the space from above.
wreck are four disassembled fighter aircraft in one of the forward On the deck at around 18 meters is where the life is most abun-
holds. Three of the aircraft are Zero fighters and the fourth is an dant. Hard corals and soft corals make an astounding display of
A5M “Claude” fighter. The vessel also boasts a 6 inch bow gun, left color, hosting many small fish of all colors and shapes festooned
over from the Sino-Japanese war and retrofitted. The Times named around the deck and sides of the wreck.
it as one of the top 10 wreck dives in the world, and Aquaviews
ranked it as the fourth best wreck dive in the world. The Fujikawa
Maru is an intact, upright shipwreck, with lots of life and accessible
