Planning a trip?
Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Chuuk Lagoon location page.
Overview
Japanese aircraft transport sunk in Operation Hailstone, February 1944. Lies upright in 36 m with Zero fighter parts in cargo hold #2 — including a fully assembled fighter still recognisable on the lower deck. Coral overgrowth blankets the masts.
Briefing note
Penetration requires wreck certification. Live ordnance and human remains are present on many Chuuk wrecks — show respect.
What you'll see
3 species curated- year-roundGlassfish
- year-roundLionfish
- year-roundWhitetip reef shark
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- medium confidenceLionfish
- Last confirmed
- May 2026
- Recent records
- 41 within 5 km
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
The wreck
Ship history- War grave
Freighter · Japan
Fujikawa Maru
- Built
- 1938
- Sunk
- Feb 17, 1944
- Length
- 132 m
- Tonnage
- 6,938
- Diveable depth
- 12–36 m
- How she sank
- Sunk in wartime
Japanese armed transport sunk during Operation Hailstone, the US Navy carrier raid on Truk Lagoon. Five Zero fighter aircraft remain in the forward hold along with anti-aircraft guns and crates of rifles. The most-dived wreck in Chuuk.
Notable features
- five Mitsubishi A6M Zero airframes in Hold 2
- bow gun
- torpedoes
- engine room
Vessel histories sourced from the Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS), NOAA ENC Direct, and editorial research. Bathymetry per GEBCO. See the methodology for limits.
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Feb | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Mar | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Apr | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| May | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Jun | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Jul | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Aug | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Sep | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Oct | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Nov | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Dec | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- Dive light — Cargo holds and engine room penetration — primary plus backup.
- Computer — Multi-level deep wreck — Nitrox recommended.
Next step
Book your trip to Chuuk Lagoon
Hotels, liveaboards, dive operators, gear recommendations, and travel logistics for the whole region.
Plan your trip →Some links earn us a commission. Learn more