We had appalling vision but penetrated the wreck and swam through the prop
shaft and into the engine room past two huge boilers. We even saw a crocodile fish
hiding as we passed old kaolin bricks used to fire up the boilers.
The Tangat Wreck was our third and last dive of the day, a small gunboat forty
metres long. She was lying in shallow waters, making it a perfect third dive.
Coron Town
The following day was one more three-wreck boat dive. Again, the wrecks were
quite far out, making the trip a whole day affair. First up was the remarkably
interesting IJN Akitsushima, a seaplane carrier. She was lying on her port side at
thirty-seven metres. This 4724-ton ship had a length of one hundred and eighteen
metres and a width of 15.7 metres. Powered by four diesel engines, it had a
maximum speed of nineteen knots.
Akitsushima was armed with ten 25mm anti-aircraft guns, four five-inch guns, and
one large Kanwanishi flying boat. She was hit near the stern where the flying boat
sat upon metal tracks. Sadly, the flying boat disappeared; it’s assumed it took off
before the sinking. The crane used to lift the seaplane out of the water was still
intact, lying on the sandy bottom and attracting enormous schools of fish. We
entered the wreck and swam along the inside until reaching a large crack that
almost split the ship in half. From there, one could manoeuvre through the crack
and proceed to the engine room through dark and narrow nooks and crannies.
After the dive, we devoured most of the coffee and snacks while the boat sailed to
the next dive site.
An hour or so later, we kitted up for our next dive. The Taiei Maru, a Japanese
freighter one hundred and thirty-seven metres long, was lying on her starboard
side. The big cargo rooms and the engine room allowed straightforward
penetration of the wreck, making it a fun dive.