Emily Flying Boat (Kawanishi H8K)
A Kawanishi H8K 'Emily' flying boat sunk at its mooring several hundred yards south-west of the Dublon (Tonoas) seaplane base. It lies upside down in about 15 m of water, in three sections, and is deteriorating; the instrument panel and wires lie on the sand and debris blocks the fuselage entrance. The operator tells of an Emily that flew the Fourth Fleet commander to Rabaul and returned damaged.
Facts
- Region: Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon – Micronesia
- Area: Aircraft wrecks
- Depth: 15 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 7.360604, 151.87383
- Highlights: Emily flying boat, fuselage, propellers
- Permit: A Chuuk State dive permit is required for every dive on the wartime wrecks (Chuuk Lagoon State Monument): US$50, valid one year, as listed by Odyssey Adventures, SS Thorfinn and the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop rate sheet (the older state-code text says US$30, so confirm when booking). Under the state code the permit is sold by the licensed dive shops/operators, who collect the fee for the state, and divers must go with a certified guide from a licensed shop. All Japanese ships and aircraft sunk before 31 Dec 1945 are protected monuments and war graves: taking or damaging anything is illegal (fine up to US$1,000 and/or six months in prison under the state code).
- Issuer / contact: Chuuk Visitors Bureau (CVB)
- Phone: +691 330-4133
- Email: executivedirector@visitchuuk.com
- Website: https://visitchuuk.com/contact-information
- CVB is the Chuuk State tourism office and is listed here as the official contact for visitor information; the permit itself is sold by the licensed dive operators (Chuuk State code Title 25 ch. 8, text at https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/mic79052.pdf). Operators (Thorfinn, Odyssey, Blue Lagoon) list US$50.
- Tips: Shallow and easy; the wreck is fragile, so avoid fin contact. Wrecks are war graves – look, photograph, take nothing. Some cargo (shells, mines, bombs) is unstable: do not touch it.