Basic HTML Version
22 | FireFlyz
get
away
G
ood
visibility, well-
preserved soft coral
and warm water are
just some of the things
that any diver, novice
or experienced, will be
looking for and Oki-
nawa has these in abundance. The more
adventurous diver may well be looking
for more than just turtles and seasnakes
to see underwater and the
USS Emmons
,
an American Gleaves-class destroyer
sunk in 1945, is a real eye-opener for any
diver wanting to explore wreck diving.
Ship Wrecked
Okinawa, themost Southern Island of Japan, may
still be a little off the beaten track for tourists but is
becoming an increasinglypopular destination for divers
in search of Asian adventure.
JonathanDi Rollo
heads
there and dives deep to thewreck of anAmerican
warship thatwas sunk duringWorldWar Two.
The
USS Emmons
was transferred to
the Pacific during the latter part of World
War Two to assist in the assault on the
beaches of Okinawa. Whilst circling to
provide antiaircraft cover to a sister ship,
it was overwhelmed by suicide-bent
Japanese planes. The
USS Emmons
was
struck almost simultaneously by five
kamikazes
. One hit her fantail, the rest
her starboard side and with many dead
and wounded sailors and ammunitions
exploding inside, the ship was scuttled
by its own crew to prevent it falling into
enemy hands.
Monument to bravery
The first thing a diver will notice de-
scending towards this wreck is the bril-
liant azure colour of the water. Lying in
up to 150 feet of water, only 10 minutes
by boat from the shore, this 350 foot
ship is now a monument to bravery in
battle. Diving down to the mid-ship you
are greeted by a plaque on its starboard
that commemorates the 60 US sailors
who perished on it. Visibility is good,
more than 20 metres, so you can see
most of the wreck from about 100 feet
away without going to the bottom of