'The Million Dollar Wreck' - San Francisco Maru is one of the stars of wreck diving in Truk Lagoon, now known as Chuuk. If you're qualified to dive to 60 m, this wreck should be on your itinerary.
Why? Because of the sheer variety of cargo and artifacts left on this Truk Lagoon wreck for divers to explore. Descend on to the deck in 50 m to see two relatively intact Ha-Go tanks, head into the adjacent hold for to tanker trucks and a staff car, before continuing to move towards the bow. Stop to see the aircraft engines.
The forward holds are filled with different types of ammunition, including aerial bombs and shells. There are also hemispherical beach mines and boxes filled with cordite.
San Francisco Maru was it and badly damaged on the first day of Operation Hailstone but remained afloat. Two more hits by 500 lb bombs on the second day of the raid damaged the ship structurally and it began sinking from the stern. Today, the deepest parts of the wreck rest in 63 m with the majority of the wreck to be explored between 50 and 60 m.
Can you see it all in one dive? Probably not. I remember my first dive on this wreck in 2018. We were whizzing around trying to see everything and ended up with a huge amount of decompression obligation, among other things.
This time, in late 2023, I went with a plan: start from the tanks and go forward. That meant not seeing the engine room. However, I felt I was seeing plenty of those on some of the other wrecks. It made for a much less crowded and actually more memorable dive.
If you'd like to see for yourself, consider joining us on our 2025 trip. More details here: darkhorizondiv.... You can also find out about our other courses on the site.
5 сен 2024
