Dear Team Member,
I hope this message finds you healthy and well.
The Dirty Dozen Expeditions has secured an exclusive WWII Wreck Expedition 03-10 August THIS year with FULL CCR/OC TEC support.
This week we would like to give you a sneak peek at some of the highlights on our custom-made wreck itinerary to give you a better idea of what this hidden wreck gem destination known for its marine life is all about.
THE WRECKS
Amatsu Maru
Standard Merchant Tanker - Length: 153m/500ft | Tonnage: 10,567 | Least Depth: 24m/78ft | Depth to seabed: 41m/134ft
Known as the Black Coral Wreck after the bushes of black coral that decorate the ships superstructure. Lying upright in 40m of water, the Amatsu Maru is the largest shipwreck in Micronesia and the deepest Japanese wreck in Palau. A 10 minutes boat ride from Malakal Harbor, this huge tanker has big exploration potential for our team.
BicHU Maru
Type 1 B Cargo Vessel - Length: 115m/378ft | Tonnage: 4,667 | Least Depth: 15m/49ft | Depth to seabed: 28m/91ft
The large cargo vessel Bichu Maru lies on her port side and has a very keen resemblance to one of the most underrated wrecks dives in Truk Lagoon - Momokawa Maru. Highlights include an excellent superstructure, engine room and stern gun to explore.
Chuyo Maru
Coastal Freighter - Length: 89m/290ft | Tonnage: 1941 | Least Depth: 12m/40ft | Depth to seabed: 34m/111ft
Lying in 40m of water and rising to 12m, the Chuyo Maru is one of the most popular wrecks in Palau. Adorned in colorful corals and inhabited by numerous lionfish, the Chuyo Maru offers a fantastic chance to explore her holds, engine room, and guns.
IJN Iro
Fleet Oiler - Length: 143m/469ft | Tonnage: 14,050 | Least Depth: 28m/91ft | Depth to seabed: 41m/134ft
A world class dive and absolutely massive wreck - the IJN Iro is a japanese fleet oiler with many, many points of interests on it ad could be considered to the equivalent of Truk Lagoon’s Shinkoku Maru in terms of its quality as a wreck dive. Many hours of exploration will be spent on this excellent wreck.
USS Perry
Clemson Class Destroyer: Length: 95m/314ft | Tonnage: 1190 | Depth to seabed: 75m/246ft
First discovered in 2000, this famous US destroyer sits at 75m/250ft and is very well known for its service in the pacific theatre during WWII. It’s a very rarely visited wreck and one of the absolute highlights of the expedition. In the video below #teamdd member Richie Kohler can be seen diving the USS Perry during the filming of a Deep Sea Detectives episode in 2005.
Should you be interested to read about the other 30+ world class wrecks in Palau, I can highly recommend purchasing Rod Macdonald’s book Dive Palau - The Shipwrecks. Once you have studied the ghost fleet of Palau in detail - it starts to show a very big resemblance to the wrecks that can be found in Truk Lagoon.
WANT TO JOIN US IN AUGUST?
The Dirty Dozen is hungry for rust, and I bet you are too if you read this long.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST by clicking the button below and we will send you more information about pricing and inclusions for our trip 03-10 August 2022. We are also looking into 2023 and beyond so if this year does not work for you, send us an email anyway!
Existing customers with trip credits can use them to pay in full on this trip!
That wraps it up for this week. As always we look forward to some great adventures with you in the years to come and as always, don’t forget, if you are feeling lonely, then we are here to chat Dirty.
Best,
Aron Arngrímsson and the DDE Team