Toa Maru
| Career (Japan) |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Kawasaki Dockyard, Kobe |
| Launched: | 1934 |
| Fate: | Sunk 25 November 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Transport ship |
| Tonnage: | 10,052 tons |
| Length: | 502.3 ft (153.1 m) |
| Beam: | 64.9 ft (19.8 m) |
| Draft: | 37.1 ft (11.3 m) |
| Installed power: | Kawasaki (MAN-type) diesel engine, 8,611 hp (6,421 kW) |
| Speed: | 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) |
| Capacity: | 93,000 bbl (14,800 m3) |
| Armament: | 1 × 4.7 in (120 mm) LA gun |
Toa Maru No 2 is a World War II Japanese transport ship sunk by the American submarine USS Searaven (SS-196)[1] off Gizo, Solomon Islands in Ironbottom Sound on 25 November 1943.
The hull of the wreck is intact and lying on its starboard side. The ships masts are still attached to the hull, however recently the superstructure has fallen into the sand. The deepest point of the wreck is by the stern, which rests in 130 feet (40 m) of water, however the top of the wreck can be reached at a depth of 40 feet (12 m). The contents of the ship's 6 cargo holds include saki bottles, ammunition clips, two Type 95 tanks, motor-cycle sidecar combinations and a fuel tanker. However, since the sinking, the ship has been salvaged removing some of the cargo and the ship's propeller.[2]
In its 2010 travel guide, Diver magazine named the wreck as one of the top 20 wreck dives in the world.[3]
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Hackett, Bob; Cundall, Peter (2013). "IJN Toa Maru". Combined Fleet.
- ↑ "Toa Maru No 2". Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site.
- ↑ "Top 20 wreck dives". Diver. 2010.
Coordinates: 8°22′N 158°00′E / 8.367°N 158.000°E