Heian Maru
The largest wreck in the lagoon: a 1930 NYK liner (11,614 t, 510 ft) converted to a submarine tender, set on fire by carrier aircraft on 16 Feb 1944 and sunk on 17 Feb. She lies on her port side with the hull starting at about 10–12 m; the holds contain torpedoes, shells, submarine parts, china and bottles, and the huge screws are a highlight.
Facts
- Region: Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon – Micronesia
- Area: Dublon, Eten & Fefan channel
- Depth: 10–35 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 7.384444, 151.855555
- Highlights: torpedoes, submarine periscopes, huge propellers, largest wreck, shells
- 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: The sideways orientation makes penetration confusing; use a guide. Wrecks are war graves – look, photograph, take nothing. Some cargo (shells, mines, bombs) is unstable: do not touch it.