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According to the 1938-39 Lloyds Register, this ship was built by Mitsubishi Jukogyo KK (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) of Yokahama, Japan, as a passenger/cargo vessel for Toyo Kisen KK and launched in 1938. The Yamagiri Maru was 133 (436.4 feet) metres long, 17.5 metres (58.3 feet) wide and grossed 6,442 tons and powered by a single six cylinder Mitsubishi diesel engine of 1166 NHP. This gave her a maximum speed of 17.0 knots and a maximum speed of 15.0 knots.
The ship was in Rabaul 1 October 1943 a time when Rabaul was under almost daily attack at the end of 1943, she was taken to Chuuk for additional repairs. She was attacked on 17 February 1944 and was possibly hit once by a dive-bomber and had two near misses by bomb and torpedo. The next day she was attacked by Curtis Helldivers from USS Bunker Hill CV17 and one scored a direct hit. There was apparently a large explosion and fire and the ship must have sunk fairly soon after as photographs taken later that day show an oil slick in the vicinity of where the Yamagiri Maru was previously seen. Wreck DescriptionStrange dive! The wreck is lying on its port side, so you descend onto starboard side with lots of coral and fish, visibility was excellent. Proceed over rail to descend along deck and into the holds. Visibility on the deck was crappy and in the holds it was very dirty. In the engine room the is a skull embedded in the roof and the skeleton lies on the table directly below. In Hold No.2 saw bombs, barrels and general destruction all over. Swam down to the stern where the starboard side propeller was clearly visible - huge prop. This side was definitely the best for life and visibility
This page was last updated on 20-Apr-2008. |
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The Yamagiri Maru was requisitioned by the Navy on 15 September 1941 as a special cargo transport. On 28 August 1943 she was torpedoed by USS Drum when travelling as part of a convoy west of Mussau Island in the Admiralties. The two torpedoes caused a great deal of damage, so much so that when she arrived at Rabaul in Papau New Guinea for repairs she was shown by aerial photographs to be lying down by the bow. 
