Amagisan Maru
Chuuk
The Amagisan Maru was a large freighter launched on 6 November 1933 by Mitsui Bussan Kaisha Ltd of Tama, Japan. The ship was 7,620 tons gross, 137 metres (454.0 feet) long and 18.3 metres (60.0 feet) wide. The Amagisan Maru was initially designed for commercial purposes. Its primary role was to transport cargo and passengers between Japan and the United States. It traversed the Pacific Ocean, its hull cutting through the waves with a graceful rhythm. During its early years, the Amagisan Maru was a symbol of Japanese prosperity and technological advancement. It was a testament to the nation's growing maritime capabilities and its desire to connect with the wider world.
The Amagisan Maru's wartime service was marked by a series of perilous encounters. It faced the constant threat of enemy attacks from both submarines and aircraft. The ship's crew lived in a state of constant anxiety, always on the lookout for danger.
On 14 February 1942 she was attacked by the submarine USS Swordfish and suffered medium damage. Two years and three days later the Amagisan Maru was anchored off the south-western corner of Uman Island in Chuuk Lagoon when the first planes of Operation Hailstone flew into the vast lagoon. The Amagisan Maru was the largest of the ships anchored on this side of the island and the planes from USS Bunker Hill CV17 targeted her for death. Five Curtis Helldivers single engine dive bombers and Four Grumman Avenger single engine torpedo bombers, attacked the Amagisan Maru during Strike 3D at about 1250 hours. One 1,000lb bomb from a Helldiver hit the Amagisan followed by a torpedo from an Avenger just forward of midships. This ignited a fuel oil fire that burned fiercely, within 15 minutes she was sinking by the bow. By the next attack run, she had sunk.
The picture below shows the torpedo strike; notice the three splashes where the torpedo dolphined (jumped out of the water) before running straight at the ship. There is a 2nd torpedo trail that appears to have missed.
There are three other ships in this picture; the Yubai Maru is top left (it sunk there), the other two are unknown. The Sankisan Maru is possibly obscured by the white water plume.
Today the Amagisan Maru lies on a gentle slope with the bow in less than 30 metres and the stern in 58 metres. The wreck has a 45 to 50° list to the port and faces back towards the southern end of Uman Island. This is an interesting wreck, it's only a pity it is in such deep water. There was a fuel tanker truck on the deck when the ship went down. It has slid off the deck and lies on the sand next to the forward hold. The forward masts has fallen over and hit the cabin of the tanker, crushing it. There is a large bow gun still intact, and the anchor can be see lying out on the sand with the chain running all the way back into the ship. The forward number 1 hold is mainly empty except for a few empty fuel drums. Hold number 2 contains some aircraft wings and more barrels. At the rear of the hold is a car with its cab mostly intact.
