The wreck of the Kensho Maru certainly has one of the most magnificent engine rooms in Chuuk (left). The Seiko Maru also has a fascinating engine room, despite being at the center of two bomb hits during the US Navy attacks. The most common way to enter the engine room is through the intact skylight, then through the engine room and out one of the explosion holes at the stern on the starboard side; much of the engine room machinery is intact (right three photos).

The wreck of the Fujisan Maru has become one of my favorites in the lagoon. A large tanker sitting upright, but with a heavy list to port, on a nearly 200 foot bottom. Last year I had come across a large searchlight (above, left and middle right) lying on the lagoon bottom, directly beneath the ship's bridge (above, upper right) and wanted to get some better photos of it. I thought the searchlight was quite picturesque with its spiral iris, making it look like a gigantic camera lens to me. The stern is partly damaged (above right, and below), with the stack collapsed in the sand.

The wreck of the Nagano Maru has suffered serious decline over the years. The ship's bridge has completely collapsed (above right) since I first saw it in 1999 (above, left). Nevertheless, it is a very picturesque shipwreck and well worth seeing.

The wreck of the Japanese destroyer Oite is always one of the highlights of a vist to Chuuk. Far north near the outer atoll boundary, getting there requires a calm day of little wind for the long trip. top left: the barrel of a 12 cm gun at the break on the bow section; in the background sits the ship's stern. top-right: wreckage on the stern section, including a RDF loop. lower left: the bottom of a gunmount on the bow section with Mark Nix. lower right: this appears to be some sort of anti-aircraft gun on the ship's stern.

The wreck of the Japanese tanker Shinkoku Maru is renowned for the amazing coral growth that blankets its deck and structures. above left: an unidentified bit of machinery with two cute little reef sharks in the distance. above right: a hawksbill turtle swims out from inside a room in the foc'sle. below left: the face of a telegraph on the ship's stern. below right: a speaking tube next to the telegraph.

The Kiyosumi Maru is famous for the remains of a bicycle in one of the aft holds, the guides will almost always take you to see it on one of their tours. Unfortunately, it has not held up well over the years (top row, 21 years apart). Some of the cavernous holds are largely empty (lower left). Mark Nix with a telegraph head he found on the wreck (lower right).

In one of the forward holds of the Fujikawa Maru are disassembled Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter planes. Mixed in with these aircraft are the remains of what is clearly NOT a "Zero." This is apparently the only surviving example of a Mitsubishi A5M "Claude" fighter, which was the predecessor of the famous A6M "Zero". It was a rather small fighter aircraft, with fixed (non-retractable) landing gear and an open cockpit and fixed windscreen. One of the distinctive features that identifies this as a "Claude" is the "spine" running along the top of the fuselage from behind the cockpit to the vertical stabilizer. This aircraft has been steadily deteriorating over the years, as the array of photos above show (2004-2025). What I first saw in 2024 was that the aircraft's tail had fallen off; one of our dive guides told me that an (idiot) diver had sat on it, breaking it off.....sigh.

Seiko Maru is one of the prettier wrecks in the lagoon, with a beautiful engine room and bridge equipment right out in the open on the top of the bridge. Coral growth has taken its toll over the years, however, as the pictures of the helm stand above show. At left is the helm stand in 2004, while on the right is the same scene in 2025. Note how the stand's "eyes" (presumable pressure gauges) have either corroded away or disappeared beneath the coral growth, while the rim from the actual helm is nearly gone now. The ship's forward mast, however, visible in the background, looks nearly unchanged.

Amagisan Maru has some interesting cargo to explore in her holds, as well as being a very scenic wreck. (clockwise from upper left): gas mask in hold behind the bridge; Mark Nix scootering beneath the forward H-mast; a radial aircraft engine in the after hold; Joe Mazranni photographing a badly deteriorated truck beneath cargo booms near the bow.

It is a well-known, and perhaps overused, cliche that shipwrecks eventually become prolific artificial reefs, but many of the wrecks in Chuuk are exactly that: overgrown with incredible and colorful coral. Clockwise from upper left: Kensho Maru, Seiko Maru, Shinkoku Maru, Shinkoku Maru, Heian Maru, Yamagiri Maru, Yamagiri Maru