Gosei Maru
Small coastal freighter (1,931 t) used to supply submarine torpedoes, sunk by an aerial torpedo from Monterey aircraft on 17 Feb 1944. The wreck rests on a steep slope with the stern about 3 m below the surface and the bow near 30 m; the stern cabin is full of bottles and the engine room can be entered. Many torpedoes were destroyed by charges in the 1970s after explosions.
Facts
- Region: Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon – Micronesia
- Area: Uman & southern lagoon
- Depth: 3–30 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 7.313177, 151.893089
- Highlights: torpedo bodies, propeller, stern at 3 m, coral
- 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 stern makes it a good ascent/reef-style dive. Wrecks are war graves – look, photograph, take nothing. Some cargo (shells, mines, bombs) is unstable: do not touch it.