Ship History
Note: This is not
a WWII era wreck. Built 1958 by the Pacific Islands S.B. Co Ltd in Hong Kong. Powered by two eight cylinder 212kw Gardner
diesel engines through twin props.
Used as a ferry and general cargo vessel
for the High Commissioner for the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. Used as an inter-island freighter in New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In
the early 1960s ownership was transferred to the Western Pacific High Commission,
also of Honiora. Presumably this was the same organization with a new name.
From 1966 to 1971 the
Coral Queen was unregistered and in the latter year
was registered as being owned by Seaworm Pty LTD of
the United Kingdom. I presume that it was still used
in the Pacific, but exact whereabouts is not yet
known to me. For the next 22 years the vessel remained
in the same ownership but after 1993-94 she was no
longer registered. Sunk off Madang.
Wreckage
There are some beautiful soft corals here and along the side. There is also quite
good fishlife on the wreck. This wreck is also well known for another thing, in
fact it is more often dived not because it is a wreck, but because it has flashlight
fish. I have dived this wreck three times now, twice at night. of flashlight fish
Anomalops kataoprton is exciting. These fish are about 100 mm long and below the
eye there is a “luminous organ”. Unique night dive.
The forecastle has two entrances,
with quite a few cabins. You can also go through the starboard doorway and drop
down into the forward hold. From here you can swim through the two holds and into
the engine room. There are one or two exits to the upper deck from here and a
maze of corridors and cabins. Despite this, there is no real risk in exploring
the stern section. You can exit back onto the deck or right out through the stern.
From the stern, you can drop over the edge and see the twin props, port rudder
(no starboard one).
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