Kyokuzan maru - Coron - Philipines
This is another Japanese freighter and like the Kogyo Maru she is very big with it’s 136 metres in length. The Kyokuzan Maru is a spare parts supply vessel.
She is also known as the ‘Dimalanta Wreck’ owing to its proximity to Dimalanta Island.
The Kyokuzan Maru
(Click to enlarge)
Kyokuzan maru - Coron - Philipines
This is another Japanese freighter and like the Kogyo Maru she is very big with it’s 136 metres in length.
It is a large-scale cargo ship of type A-type A built by Kawanan Kogyo, and it is considered that the main ship is actually the first ship of the Wartime Standard 1A type.
The Kyokuzan Maru is a spare parts supply vessel.
The Kyokuzan Maru stands upright with the hull settled at 42 meters. The deck level is at 26 to 28 meters.
The story & the dive
The DATA
- Name: Kyokuzan Maru
- Builder: Miyaji-i Kisen shipyard
- Type: Army auxiliary supply ship (AK), Jap. “Yuso-sen”
- Completed: April 1943
- Length over all: 135.90 m; Lpp: 128.0 m
- Breadth: 17.8 m
- Draft: 7.80 m
- Gross tonnage: 6,492 gt.
- Propulsion: 1 x 3,882 shp geared turbine; 1 shaft/1 screw/1 rudder
- speed: 15.06 knots
- Armament: 3 x 1 – 1.0″ (2.5 cm) AA guns in special athwardship stand on forecastle + circular stand on deck
- Sunk on September 24, 1944 by US Air Group twenty-seven Hudspeth’s Division
- Current location: Close to the Club Paradise Resort, which is located on Dimakya Island
Drawing of the Kyokuzan Maru
(Click to enlarge)
The only photographic evidence available is a K20 picture which was taken from either the fifth or sixth plane to dive.
The Story
Not much is known about the ship’s early life, but it is certain that it was built in 1943 and launched as a warship in Japan’s Miyaji-i Kisen shipyard in 1944.
There is no record of any ship under the name Kyokuzan Maru in any Lloyds Register in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
The ship was designed and built for military cargo transportation, and once it was completed, it was immediately sent into battle.
The Kyokuzan Maru was an auxiliary freighter serving a wartime logistics role in support of the Imperial Japanese Navy. At the time of her sinking, she was carrying a load of spare parts.
The Kyokuzan Maru was unlucky enough to be sailing in the Coron Bay in the Philippines at the time when the U.S. Air Force launched a series of intense air raids that destroyed most of the ships in the area.
The Japanese hoped that by spreading their ships around the many inlets of the island they might avoid American air attacks however they were sadly mistaken and the Kyokuzan became yet another casualty.
Along with other Japanese war ships in Coron, she was sunk by US naval airpower on the 24th of September 1944 in a massive raid. Her northerly position in Coron Bay (north-east of Busuanga Island) meant that she was one of the last ships to be sunk during the decisive attack.
Coron’s history started on 24 September 1944 when a US Navy strike force of fighters and dive bombers attacked a Japanese supply fleet of up to 24 ships, at anchor, in Coron Bay and around Busuanga Island.
Whether the Japanese fleet was spotted by aerial photo reconnaissance interpreters who noticed that some camouflaged ships had moved, or whether Japanese radio transmissions were intercepted is still debated.
Photos taken from the air during the attack do not show any signs of camouflage netting on the ships. The consequence of detection was a surprise aerial attack by US Navy carrier based aircraft that sank the fleet at anchor.
The US Third Fleet was under the command of Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey aboard the battleship USS New Jersey.
Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey
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Building specs of the Kyokuzan Maru
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Located about 170 nautical miles southwest of Manila, Coron Bay was a supposedly safe assembly area for Japanese shipping.
The cargo ship Kyokuzan Maru and two others were anchored in a small bay on the northeast coast of Busuanga.
In the early morning of 24 September 1944, 22 American carrier-based dive bombers and 96 fighter escorts (some carrying bombs) of the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF) 38 surprisingly appeared.
The final casualty of the morning-long slugfest was the Kyokuzan Maru, which had erroneously felt secure on her natural anchorage far to the northeast. She and two other chips were attacked by planes from the USS Lexington.
It is obvious that this vessel did not sink due to bombing as the hull, cargo holds as well as the engine room are still intact and the lifeboat davits have been swung out.
It is believed that the crew scuttled and abandoned the ship upon being discovered by U.S. dive bombers.
Damage to the lowest plates just forward of the stern on the starboard side can be seen on diving the Kyokuzan Maru.
This could be bomb damage or damage from striking the coral reef after sinking.
Drawing of the wreck
The Dive
The Kyokuzan will be one of the best wreckdives you can enjoy in Busuanga.
Visibility is amongst the best in Coron…regularly as good as 20m+
Due to the depth, this dive is only recommended for experienced divers.
The maximum depth on the wreck is around 40 meters at the seabed.
Quite often the visibility here reaches up to 20+ meters.
The decks are in between 22 and 28 meters but it is worth going just a fraction deeper into the engine room down the sides of the huge boilers where you can pass from catwalk to catwalk. It’s possible to enter the engine room from outside the wreck via the prop tunnel.
The propeller is gone, but the rudder is very impressive and great for photos.
The wheel house is at 22 to 24 meters, in the first holds you’ll find a large collection of broken china plates, cups and bowls.
No penetration here but swim through on overhead environment to reach the next hold wich is way more interesting.
In total there are 6 cargo holds.
The collection of broken china plates, cups and bowls
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The remains of a car
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In the 5th cargo hold from the stern houses a Japanese Army jeep chasis relatively intact at 31 meters depth.
The body of the car has weathered away, but the frame, engine, bumpers, etc are still visible. It still has it’s whitewall tires on!
Inside this hold you can also find tires.
A lot of the objects here are incredibly rare including, pieces of wooden furniture.
More or less intact this huge ship invariably offers the best visibility of any of the Coron wrecks and also has the most artefacts left to see inside including masses of broken pottery in the upper bridge superstructure, and Japanese staff cars and trucks in the holds.
As mentioned, the visibility is excellent here and the currents are (normaly) very low.
To experience the whole ship, you will need at least 2 dives!
Wreck Depths:
• Mast area: 12-14m
• Wheel house: 22-24m
• Deck Level: 26-28m
• First Level Cargo Area: 30-33m
• Maximum Depth: 42m
IMPORTANT NOTE:
There is a danger in one of the holds and that is that some of the barrels are leaking.
It is best not to enter this one as the fluid is a solvent that can burn your skin.
The stairs from the cargo hold
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The fully grown mast
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Flora & Fauna
Firstly it is surrounded by one of the most impressive reefs you will find.
Which means you will find a huge selection of all different fish here from star puffers to giant barracudas anchovies, silver trevallies and some of the biggest spade fish you will ever see!
The entire area of the wreck is home to a myriad of different fish species including some of the biggest and most curious batfish you will ever encounter. With a little bitofluck you can also spot turtles on the wreck.
The wreck itself is fully covered with the most beautifull hard, -and softcorals in all colors.
The wreck is also full of macro life, from various kinds of nudibranches to ghost pipefish.
Some pictures
Conclusion
Coron Bay is renowned for its collection of WWII shipwrecks, attracting divers from around the globe. The Kyokuzan Maru is one of the most popular wrecks to explore in Coron. Diving the Kyokuzan Maru in Coron, Philippines, offers a unique wreck diving experience. This Japanese freighter, lying upright at a depth of 40 meters, is largely intact. Inside the wreck is a car and pottery with the ship’s insignia.
This wreck is covered with Pycnodonte clams and other filter feeders. There are plenty of corals, sponges, shells, and tunicates.
Visibility is generally good, often exceeding 20 meters, and the wreck is known for its relatively light currents.
The wreck attracts various marine species, including batfish, scorpionfish, lionfish, and trumpetfish.
