Kansho Maru
Passenger-cargo ship (about 4,860 t, 384 ft, built 1938), towed to Truk after bomb damage and sunk in the repair anchorage by bombs and an aerial torpedo during Hailstone (dive3d and the operator give 17–18 Feb 1944; Pacific Wrecks lists the Kensho Maru as sunk on 30 April 1944). 'Kansho' and 'Kensho' are two spellings of the same ship: tonnage and length agree across Thorfinn, Pacific Wrecks and dive3d. Upright on about 36–40 m with a port list, she has a superb engine room and three levels of workshops, a captain's cabin, radio gear in the wheelhouse and beer and sake bottles below deck.
Facts
- Region: Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon – Micronesia
- Area: Dublon, Eten & Fefan channel
- Depth: 12–40 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 7.378138, 151.847527
- Highlights: engine room, machine shop, radio equipment, sake bottles, soft 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.
- Unverified: Pacific Wrecks gives 30 April 1944 for the Kensho Maru, whereas Thorfinn and dive3d describe a February 1944 (Hailstone) sinking; Kansho and Kensho are treated as one ship (same tonnage and length in all three sources).
- Tips: Depth runs to about 40 m; the machinery is fragile, so penetrate only with wreck training. Wrecks are war graves – look, photograph, take nothing. Some cargo (shells, mines, bombs) is unstable: do not touch it.