Toa Maru
Encyclopedia
Toa Maru No 2 is a Japanese transport ship sunk by the American submarine USS Searaven
off Gizo
(of the Solomon Islands
) in Ironbottom Sound
on 25 November 1943, during World War II
. The hull of the wreck is intact and lying on its starboard side. the ships masts are still although to the hull, however recently the superstructure has fallen into the sand. The deepest point of the wreck is by the stern, which rest in 130 feet of water, however the top of the wreck can be reached at a depth of 40 feet. The contents of the ships 6 cargo holds include saki bottles, ammunition clips, and a tank. However since the sinking the ship has been salvaged removing some of the cargo, and the ship's propeller.
In its 2010 travel guide, Diver magazine named the wreck as one of the top 20 wreck dives
in the world.
USS Searaven (SS-196)
USS Searaven , a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sea raven, a sculpin of the northern Atlantic coast of America....
off Gizo
Gizo
Gizo is the capital of the Western Province in the Solomon Islands. With a population of 6,154 , it is the second largest town in the country. It is situated on Ghizo Island approximately 380 kilometers west-northwest of the capital, Honiara, and is just southwest of the larger island of Kolombangara...
(of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
) in Ironbottom Sound
Ironbottom Sound
"Ironbottom Sound" is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound, the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in...
on 25 November 1943, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The hull of the wreck is intact and lying on its starboard side. the ships masts are still although to the hull, however recently the superstructure has fallen into the sand. The deepest point of the wreck is by the stern, which rest in 130 feet of water, however the top of the wreck can be reached at a depth of 40 feet. The contents of the ships 6 cargo holds include saki bottles, ammunition clips, and a tank. However since the sinking the ship has been salvaged removing some of the cargo, and the ship's propeller.
In its 2010 travel guide, Diver magazine named the wreck as one of the top 20 wreck dives
Wreck diving
Wreck diving is a type of recreational diving where shipwrecks are explored. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites...
in the world.