Kiyosumi Maru
Armed merchant raider turned transport (built 1934), torpedoed by US submarines in 1943, under repair at Truk and sunk by bombs on 16 Feb 1944; she lies on her port side with the starboard side only about 12 m down. Known locally as the 'oil slick ship' because fuel still leaks. Features include the aft torpedo launchers, bicycles and lanterns in the holds and a huge engine visible through a bomb hole. Human remains have been reported in the lower decks.
Facts
- Region: Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon – Micronesia
- Area: Dublon, Eten & Fefan channel
- Depth: 12–30 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 7.370466, 151.846216
- Highlights: torpedo launcher, engine, bicycles, ship lanterns, moray
- 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: Do not swim under the 200-tonne engine, which may fall; human remains reported – treat the site as a grave. Wrecks are war graves – look, photograph, take nothing. Some cargo (shells, mines, bombs) is unstable: do not touch it.