American Tanker Wreck

The American Tanker is a WWII-era fuel transport vessel resting on its starboard side in 32 m of water off Guam's north-east coast, its hull encrusted over 80 years of colonisation by black coral trees, enormous sea fans, and a thick carpet of encrusting sponges that have transformed the wreck into an artificial reef of extraordinary diversity. The cargo tanks are penetrable by experienced divers and contain intact gauges, valves, and pipe work that document mid-century industrial engineering, while the outer hull has been colonised by lionfish, scorpionfish, batfish, and large grouper that use the wreck as a permanent home rather than a transient resting point. Visibility around the wreck averages 25 to 35 m in the calm season, and the morning light that strikes the upturned hull at an angle makes wide-angle photography on this site exceptional.