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This supply ship was hit by a US torpedo on her way from the Philippines to Palau on March 22nd 1944 and finally sunk off Koror on March 30th of that year. Interestingly, Japanese merchant vessels always had the word "Maru" suffixed to their name, so the lack of it in this case describes it as a civilian ship that was converted to military use.
She lies upright in 40m of water and is a relatively easy dive, although the depth will limit your time down there and it is mandatory to have Intermediate to Advanced dive experience if you want to explore inside the ship. When you descend, you'll come across a large gun mounted on the bow. The deck is still relatively intact as is the starboard anchor. The bridge has easy access, but the crews' quarters underneath require you to penetrate the hull. There is a gun that is still fixed to the stern.
The wreck is home to a wide variety of marine life. You can expect to see clownfish, lionfish and various others living amongst the coral that has developed on the hull. This has to be one of the best wreck dives in the world and shouldn't be missed. As a word of warning, do not touch any ammunition you may come across - after all the years, it can be unstable.
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