It has been a little while since I posted on the wrecks of Chuuk Lagoon so I thought I'd get back into it with the Yamagiri Maru which is another one of the classic Truk wrecks.
This photo was taken from the small museum in the grounds of Blue Lagoon Hotel in Chuuk.
Launched in 1939 the 133m Yamagiri Maru was one of the more modern ships in in the fleet anchored in Chuuk Lagoon when she was sunk during Operation Hailstone on 17th February 1944.
Built as a passenger cargo liner with a tonnage of around 6400 GRT was capable of speeds of 14.5 knots quite quick for a cargo ship of that time. In September 1941 the ship was requisitioned by the Japanese Navy and converted to a military transport.
Sunk in 1944 the ship if off the north end of Fefan Island in around 33m on her port side. As it is one of the shallower wrecks it is easy to dive on Nitrox to extend the time on the wreck. The front holds are empty but there is easy access o the engine room and this was the location of one of the classic Chuuk Lagoon photos , there the skull of one of the engineers was embedded in to a bulkhead by the force of the bombs that sunk the ship. But like many of the human remains this was removed by the Japanese government for cremation and then interred in the National Cemetery for the War Dead in Tokyo.
The rear holds have a number of 14 inch navel shells at one time these were thought to be 18 inch shells for the Yamamoto the but a tape mesure and things always look bigger underwater proved otherwise.
Like most of the shallow wrecks in Chuuk the top of the hull is covered in soft coral and a real haven for reef fishes like this lion fish.
So Hivers even if your not into wrecks diving in Chuuk will have somthing for you.