.jpg) Kizugawa Maru, seen pre-war | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Kizugawa Maru |
| Builder | Kawaminami, Nagasaki[1] |
| Launched | May 11, 1941[2] |
| Completed | July 1941[1] |
| Identification | Official Number 48643[1] |
| Fate | Scuttled inApra Harbor,Guam, June 27, 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | WWII Standard D-class ship (jpn.) class[3] |
| Tonnage | 1,915 GRT[1] |
| Length | 82.8 metres (272 ft)[3] |
| Beam | 12.2 metres (40 ft)[3] |
| Draft | 6.2 metres (20 ft)[3] |
| Propulsion | steam, 1 x 3-cyl. triple expansion engine, single shaft, 1 screw[3] |
| Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h)[3] |
| Armament | 1 x8cm/40 deck gun, 1 xsingle 25mm Type 96 gun, 2 x single 13mm Type 93 MGs, 1 x 7,7mm MG, 5 rifles, 2 depth charges, 1 hydrophone[3] |
| Wreck of Kizugawa Maru | |
|---|---|
| Location | Piti, Guam,USA |
| Waterbody | Apra Harbor |
| Nearest land | Cabras Island |
| Dive type | Deep,Wreck |
| Depth range | 65 to 140 ft (20 to 43 m) |
| Average visibility | 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 ft) |
| Entry type | Boat |
| Bottom composition | Metal, silt |
| Water | Salt |
Kizugawa Maru (Japanese:木津川丸,きづがわまる), orKitsugawa Maruα, is a World War II-era Japanese watertanker sunk inApra Harbor,Guam. Damaged by a submarine torpedo attack off Guam on April 8, 1944, she was towed into port for repairs. In port, she was further damaged in three separate U.S. air attacks during theMariana and Palau Islands campaign. Deemed irreparable,Kizugawa Maru wasscuttled by shore guns on June 27, 1944. The shipwreck is now a deeprecreational diving site.
On April 8, 1944, she was part of a supply convoy fromSaipan to the garrison atWoleai,[4] when she was damaged in the port engine room[5] by a torpedo attack byUSS Seahorse about 47 kilometres (29 mi) off the eastern coast of Guam at13°16′N145°11′E / 13.267°N 145.183°E /13.267; 145.183. She was then towed toApra Harbor for repairs bythe destroyerMinazuki.[2] Thirty-seven of her sailors were killed in the attack.[5] In the same attack,Seahorse fatally damaged the munitions transportAratama Maru, which grounded itself inTalofofo Bay.[6] At the time, Guam wasoccupied by the Japanese after beingcaptured from the U.S. in 1941.
During the U.S.Mariana and Palau Islands campaign,Kizugawa Maru was further damaged during an air raid on 11 April, and again on 11 and 27 June. Declared beyond repair after the raid on the 27 June, she was scuttled by shore gunfire.[4][2] Due to her engine room flooding quickly, she sank straight down and sits upright in northern Apra Harbor.[7][8][9] About 80% intact, the wreck has an8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun[2] on her bow with three or four boxes of ammunition.[10] In 2007, researchers noted a large concrete block had crashed through the bow deck structure, apparently due to an mooring accident.[11]
Kizugawa Maru is a deeprecreational diving site, sometimes referred to as theKitz. She is lauded as an "excellent wreck dive"[9] and a rival to "any that can be foundon Truk."[8] The top of Kizugawa Maru's mast is at 60 feet (18 m), while the bow gun sits at 100 feet (30 m). Damage from six bombs is at 130 feet (40 m), with the silt bottom of the harbor at 140 feet (43 m). Due to the depth, recreational divers useNitrox or are severely limited on the time available at the gun or deck in order to avoid incurring adecompression obligation.[10] Trainedwreck divers considering penetration are further cautioned about plentiful silt, as well as twisted metal around the engine room and holds.[8] In October 2023, a large vessel anchored on or near the Kitzugawa Maru, ripping the deck gun off of the deck, knocking the mast off and damaging the bow. The gun now sits in 137 feet of water, upside down, in the silt on her port side.
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Media related toKizugawa Maru (ship, 1941) at Wikimedia Commons
