THE WWII WRECKS

Before and during WWII, Palau became strategically important for the Japanese war machine. On March 31, 1944, the American Navy air raided the Palau Archipelago in an operation named “DESECRATE I”. During operation “DESECRATE I” more than 60 ships were sunk.

In the 1980’s, Francis Toribiong (the founder of Fish ‘n Fins) and Klaus Lindemann located all the Japanese wrecks in Palau and documented their research in the book DESECRATE I.

Fortunately, the Palauan lagoon is shallower than Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon. The wrecks rest at depths ranging from 120' (40m) to 60' (20m).

Following the tradition of Francis, Fish ‘n Fins is the only dive shop in Palau that offers all wrecks. At Fish ‘n Fins, we have a unique library with rare footage, books and documents from the war.

CHUYU MARU, 110-70' (35-23m): Freighter, stern gun and shells, bridge intact, engine room, many Lion Fish.
IRO, 110-70' (35-23m): Fleet oiler, large coral encrusted bow and stern guns, open engine room.
SATA, 110-70' (35-23m): Sister ship of the Iro, capsized, large propellers.
AMATZU MARU, 120-90' (30-14m): Tanker, largest wreck in Micronesia, many black coral bushes.
GOZAN MARU, 90-40' (30-14m): Freighter lay on its side.
KAMIKAZE MARU, 110-80' (35-26m): Freighter, large cargo of torpedoes.
HELMET WRECK, 95-30' (31-10m): Small supply ship, stern gun and shells, depth charges and radial engines for zero fighters in cargo hold.
BUOY #6 WRECK, 80' (26m): Patrol boat, best wreck for macro photography, excellent night dive.
RYOKU MARU, 110-60' (35-20m): Freighter, relocated by Fish ‘n Fins in 1998.
NAGISAN MARU, 100-60' (33-20m): Freighter, burned and deformed, good engine room.
ZERO FIGHTER, 60' (20m): Good condition, rests on its back.
JAKE SEAPLANE, 40' (13m): Floatplane, intact (bomb, radios, etc. are still around).
USS PERRY, 240' (82m): The only US shipwreck in Micronesia. Sunk after hitting a mine on September 14, 1944. Discovered by Fish ‘n Fins expedition on May 1, 2000.