IJN
Cargo
Length
60m
Tons
6,000
Wartime History
On April 6, 1943 at 1630, convoy "Hansa No. 28" departs Palau for Hansa Bay. It includes: Subchaer CH-26, Subchaer CH-34 destroyers TANIKAZE and AMATSUKAZE and transports: Teiryu Maru, India Maru, Toho Maru, Sydney Maru, Taisei Maru and Taiyu Maru.
On April 12, the convoy arrives at Hansa Bay and is attacked by American B-17s and B-24s. The Sydney Maru is set on fire, beached and soon afterwards abandoned and sinks.
Wreckage
The upper deck is only six meters deep. Two anti-aircraft guns point
towards the surface. Brass shell casting litter the forward deck and
hold. Two fire engines are in the hold, just before the bridge where
they were waiting to be unloaded.
Mark P. adds:
"I dived the site of the Shishi Maru in 1985. We have photographs of the fire engine taken because my husband worked with the fire brigade during in the Australian Army post World War 2. We have a picture of him sitting in the fire engine truck in the hold of the ship."
References
Some references to this ship also refer to it as 'Shishi
Maru'.
6m
03°18'S
143°38'E
