Roi-Namur

Eiko Maru (1st Ship)

The Eiko Maru, also called 1st Ship is a short boat ride from the Roi pier. It was an auxiliary transport of 3,535 tons. It was 340ft long with a beam of 48ft. Struck on Dec 4, 1943, the ship was very damaged and the Akibasan Maru (P-buoy) was assigned to tow it back to Japan. This ended up not occurring and the ship was hit again January 29th and caught fire before shinking near Roi-Namur.

Sitting in only 110ft in the sand and upright, with kingposts reaching almost 15ft. It is an excellent dive for all levels of divers. There is plenty of coral growth on the wreck and lots of fish life. Due to fire it is extremely silty, so be careful not to stir up the bottom with stray fin kicks. There is a nice bow gun

Kembu Maru (2nd Ship)

The Kembu Maru was a 6,816 ton auxiliary transport that was 450ft long with a 57ft beam. was attacked on December 4, 1943 and SBDs from the Lexington dropped bombs on the ship, several hitting. Later TBFs targeted the ship, dropping torpedoes and at least two hit. There was an outbreak of fire that eventually got to the stored aviation fuel and caused a huge explosion. That blew the stern section off and it was either disintegrated or has yet to be found. Aviation gas has still been found emerging from the cargo holds Be aware that aviation gas can cause burns on divers skin and it can sometimes be seen floating to the surface as bubbles or it can be released when silt is stirred up.

It has a 5inch bow gun, the largest in the lagoon, mounted on a platform with ammunition underneath. It sits upright with the shallowest point being a kingpost around 60ft and it sits 150ft in the sand. The top deck is around 150ft. Large school of fusiliers are common and the ship has lots of coral and fish life.

Takunan Maru (3rd Ship)

The Takunan Maru No. 7 was converted to a submarine chaser in 1941. It was 343 tons and 134ft long with a beam of 27ft. The ship sits close to the Kembu Maru and it’s wondered if the massive explosion from the Kembu also caused damage to the Takunana or possibly the sinking.

This smaller vessel is a lovely dive. It’s easy to circle the entire ship, although it sits at 130ft in the sand with most of the dive around 100ft. Most of the wooded hull and superstructure are gone but the basic frame of the ship is still intact. It sits a bit at an angle with the starboard side being shallower. The bow has a gun platform, but the gun has broken off and lies on the seafloor.

Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero

It is unknown when or how this Zero went down, but its mangled position suggests it hit the water at high speeds. The plane is very close to the pier and sits at 60ft.

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter plane for the Imperial Japanese Navy which operated from 1940-1945. The plane was almost 30ft long with a wingspan on just under 40ft. It could reach speeds of 330mph, had a max rang of 1160 miles and had only the pilot as crew.

Lagoon Coral Heads

Cabbage Patch, Frenzy, Frenzy Jr and more

There are lots of amazing coral heads to dive in the northern part of Kwajalein lagoon. Some of the favorites include Frenzy and Frenzy Jr. which are often comparable to Troy’s Coral Head in the south with lots of shark action and big schools of fish. Cabbage Patch is a huge and healthy patch of cabbage coral with lots of fish living within. Others include Gagen Coral Head, Fifth Island Coral Head and others.

Speedball, University, Crater and More

Oceanside Reef Dive Sites

It seems as if you could dive in anywhere oceanside near Roi-Namur and see beautiful and healthy coral and marine life. Speedball is an amazing site where shark sightings are reliable. University has many schools of fish, and Crater is also known for it’s marine life. The passes can also be interesting to dive with boat support (pay attention to the tides).

SBD Douglas Dauntless

The SBD is the most abundant plane in the Airplane Graveyard and they are scattered throughout. One site known as 13 planes allows a diver to see as many as 13 SBDs on one dive. Nicknamed “Slowly by Deadly,” the Douglas Dauntless was a very successful plane in the Pacific Theater credited with sending at least 18 Japanese ships to the bottom of the sea. It also had the lowest loss rate of any US Navy aircraft flown in WWII.

Length: 33ft 1in Wingspan: 41ft 6in Height: 13ft 7in Max Speed: 255mph Range: 1,115mi Crew: 2

Vought F4U Corsair

The Corsair is one of the most popular planes in the Airplane Graveyard. One of the most successful fighter designs of WWII and one of the most popular planes used post-war. There is only one that sits nose down in the sand with spare props in the cockpit.

Length: 33ft 8in Wingspan: 41ft Height: 14ft 9in Max Speed: 446mph Range: 1,005mi Crew: 1

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Prior to the Corsair, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter in the Pacific Theater. It could fly 320mph, but the Japanese Zero was still a bit faster. It’s small size made it maneuverable and easy to take off and land on aircraft carriers. In one are of the Graveyard there are several Wildcats scattered in the sand.

Length: 28ft 9in Wingspan: 38ft Height: 9ft 2in Max Speed: 320mph Range: 830mi Crew: 1

Grumman TBM Avenger

The Avenger was designed to replace the TBD Devastator and the heaviest single engine aircraft that flew in WWII. It used the Sto-wing compound angle wing folding system to allow more planes to fit on the decks and in the holds of aircraft carriers. There are two Avengers in the Graveyard: one is upright and one is upside down.

Length: 40ft 11in Wingspan: 54ft 2in Height: 15ft 5in Max Speed: 275mph Range: 1,000mi Crew: 3

PBJ Mitchell Bomber

The PBJ Mitchell Bomber is the Marines version of the B-25. The Navy didn’t like the B-25s for aircraft carriers because they were so big, but they were great for jungles and small island landing fields, so prefect for the Marines in the Pacific Theater. They were slightly altered and designated PBJ-1. There are 11 in the Airplane Graveyard.

Length: 52ft 11in Wingspan: 67ft Height: 15ft 9in Max Speed: 275mph Range: 1,350mi Crew: 5

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

The Helldiver was designed to replace the SBDs but delays kept it from being put in use until 1943. It was faster and more versatile but difficult to handle and the long nose made it hard to see during take off and landing o aircraft carriers. There is just one Helldiver in the Airplane Graveyard and a set of spare wings nearby.

Length: 36ft 8in Wingspan: 49ft 9in Height: 13ft 2in Max Speed: 295mph Range: 1,165mi Crew: 2

Curtiss C-46 Commando

There is only one C-46 in the Airplane Graveyard and the wings are off, but can be seen nearby in the sand. The marines used this plane in the Pacific Theater to transport men and equipment over vast Pacific distances and it could handle extreme weather, hard landing fields and heavy cargo.

Length: 76ft 4in Wingspan: 108ft Height: 21ft 9in Max Speed: 270mph Range: 3,150mi Crew: 4