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SUBIC SCUBA COLLEGE - THE HISTORY OF SUBIC AND ITS WRECKS
Subic Bay has one of the highest concentrations of war wrecks within sport-diving range in the world. According to the Subic Bay Historical Museum, 19 wrecks dating from the Spanish-American War to the Second World War have been identified in Subic Bay. Ironically, these wrecks have only recently been opened to recreational divers, due to the existence of a major US Navy base at Subic Bay until 1991. For many years, the US Navy kept access to the bay extremely restricted, and banned all diving, except by military personnel. It was only after departure of the US military that wreck-diving enthusiasts were able to start exploring this treasure trove of history.
The History of Subic Bay
Spain was the first colonial power to occupy the Philippines. They recognized that the large bay is almost enclosed by land and offered calm, protected waters under all but the most extreme weather conditions. They established an arsenal and ship-repair facility on the banks of Subic Bay in 1885. The stone gateway to this facility still stands in the beachfront area. The Spanish-American war began in 1898. In a effort to prevent access to the bay to the American fleet, the Spanish scuttled the gunboat’ San Quentin’ and two smaller wooden boats across one of the entrances near Grande Island. However, they soon after decided to move their fleet to Manila Bay because their defensive shore artillery batteries at Subic Bay had not been completed.
The American Pacific fleet, commanded by Commodore George Dewey, bypassed Subic Bay, and defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Manila Bay in May 1898. Filipino rebels subsequently overran the abandoned facilities at Subic Bay, and held them for a year until defeated by US forces. In 1900 the Americans established the Subic Bay Naval Reservation. It was used to train forces and repair ships before, during, and after the First World War.
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Japanese began conducting air raids on the Philippines. The American military was forced to abandon their facility in Subic Bay, scuttling ships and destroying dry-dock facilities. The Japanese occupied the bay in January 1942.
As the fortunes of war reversed, the Japanese were forced, in turn, to abandon Subic Bay in 1945. It was swiftly re-occupied by the Americans, who used the facilities to repair their ships. Following the end of the war, a large number of vessels were brought there to be repaired or converted, and a number of these sank in the Bay due to storms, accidents, or their decrepit condition.
During the Vietnam War, Subic Bay became home to the US Seventh Fleet, and a major centre for military R&R (rest and recreation), as well as training and repairs. During the 1960s, up to 47 ships were in port each day. The number of vessels that have sunk here over the years will probably never be known, and new discoveries are made each year. There are even rumors that Spanish galleons and Chinese Junks are waiting to be found in the deeper waters outside the Bay.
One thing is for sure…. there are many more historic wrecks in the Bay than a diver could expect to explore in a one week diving holiday!
USS New York
The USS New York is perhaps the most famous and sought-after wreck in Subic. It was built in 1891 as the second in a line of armored cruisers, with the original designation of ‘ACR-2'. Her sister ship, ACR-1, was later converted to a battleship and renamed the USS Maine. The sinking of the Maine instigated the Spanish-American War, in which the USS New York also fought. The New York was upgraded (including the turreted 8 inch guns) and became the flagship of the US Asiatic Fleet and Pacific Squadron. She subsequently participated in the First World War and other conflicts. Between 1911 and 1917 she was renamed ‘Saratoga’ and later, the ‘Rochester’. In 1933 she was finally laid up at the Subic Bay to be cannibalized for spares. She was eventually scuttled by the US Navy, in 1941, during their preparations to withdraw from Subic, to prevent her four 8 inch guns falling into enemy hands.
Resting on her port side at a depth of 30m, she is still mostly intact, except for explosive damage caused by salvage operations in her mid-section. Fortunately for divers, her 4 massive turreted deck guns and enormous propeller are still intact. The wreck is 110m long, making it one of the largest wrecks in the Bay. Diving the USS New York is an atmospheric experience for divers and the scale of the wreck can really be appreciated as you swim alongside her main guns or around her propeller.
Depth: 16-32m
Suitable for: Advanced Open Water / Experienced Divers
El Capitan
Commonly referred to as the ‘El Capitan’, the USS Majaba (AG-43) was built by Albina Engine & Machine works in 1919 and originally designated as the SS Meriden. On 23 April 1942, She was acquired by the US Navy as the ‘El Capitan’ and immediately renamed USS Majaba upon commissioning and conversion to a ‘miscellaneous auxiliary’ on 14 May 1942.
During World War Two, she served with distinction providing vital cargo runs for the US Military. On her final cargo mission, between Tuglai and Guadalcanal, she was struck by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine. The impact destroyed her engine room and boilers, but she did not sink. Due to this damage, she was towed to Florida Islands, Solomons, was repaired, and spent the remainder of the war serving as a floating quarters and material storage ship. Following the end of the war, she was towed to the Philippines and eventually her name was struck from the Navy List on 28 March 1946. Whilst waiting at anchor in Ilanin Bay, Subic, to be returned to her pre-war owner, E.K.Wood Lumber Co., of San Francisco, Calif, she was sunk in a storm. The Majaba received one Battle Star for service during World War Two.
It is a fairly conventional steam-powered freighter and her plate rudder design signifies that she was an older design of ship than most freighters used in the Pacific during World War Two. The existence of a large gun platform at her bow indicates her participation during the conflict, although the lack of any obvious explosive damage seems to indicate that she did not sink in action. Located on the edge of a shallow, sloping reef, the most likely cause of her sinking seems to be collision.
The wreck lies on its port side in a maximum depth of 20m, with the starboard side only 4m below the surface. She is approximately 3000 tonnes, 80m long and structurally intact. Divers can enjoy swimming inside her massive forward and rear holds and, if suitable trained and equipped, can enjoy comparatively safe penetration into her cavernous boiler room. The combination of good visibility, shallow depth, no current and intact structure makes this wreck an ideal starting point for the novice wreck diver.
Depth: 4-22m
Suitable for: All levels of diver
The San Quentin (aka ‘Sunken Tin’)
Deliberately scuttled, in 1898, to block entrance to Subic Bay during the Spanish-American war, the San Quentin is an impressive wreck. Whilst it is mostly flattened by a combination of storms and time, the bow and stern sections are still easily recognizable, as are the large upright steam boilers. More than a century underwater has transformed this wreck into a thriving artificial reef and it is covered with a luxuriant growth of soft corals, sponges and crinoids, and populated with a dazzling array of fish and invertebrates. Over 20 species of nudibranch have been identified here. It is an easy dive in only 12-16m of clear water, and it is situated next to a pleasant coral reef, that is home to some very large specimens of Giant Clam upon which can be found some large giant clams.
Depth: 10-16m
Suitable for: Open Water / Novice Divers / Underwater Photographers
Seian Maru
The Seian Maru is a 3,712 tone freighter that was serving the Japanese Navy when she was bombed and sunk by US Aircraft on the 19th December 1944, only 4 days after the sinking of the Oruyko Maru. She was built in 1938, with a length of 351ft and a width of 50ft, and served the Japanese Navy as a merchant tanker. It now lies on its port side at a depth of 27m. It suffered severe damage to the mid-section when it was sunk and the drama of its demise is evident from the twisted and torn metal of its hull.
Depth: 16-32m
Suitable for: Advanced Open Water / Experienced Divers
Japanese Patrol Boat
Located in the same bay as the LCU wreck, this vessel sank during the Japanese occupation of Subic during World War Two. The wreck stands upright at a maximum depth of 26m and is structurally intact. The exact vessel type and purpose of this ship is not known, but with a length of 120ft, a breadth of 25ft and weighing around 150 tons, she was most likely employed as a tug boat or submarine detection vessel. It is a very pleasant wreck, which attracts a large amount of marine life and typically enjoys good visibility.
Depth: 16-26m
Suitable for: Advanced Open Water
Oryoku Maru ‘The Hellship’
This wreck is famous due to the war crimes testimonies of the allied prisoners-of-war who were transported on her from Manila to Subic in the later stages of World War Two. The vessel was a cruise liner that was utilized by the Japanese to transport military prisoners from the Philippines to Japan.
In addition to the horrific treatment of those prisoners during their transport, the Japanese also failed to mark the vessel as a prisoner-of-war transporter and she was subsequently bombed by the US Military. On 15th December 1944, she was sheltering in Subic Bay with a complement of 1,619 American and British prisoners on board. Caught in the bay by an American air-raid, she suffered heavy bombardment and was sunk close to shore. Over 300 prisoners died during the short transit from Manila and the sinking of the vessel. Of those who escaped from the sinking ship, the remaining majority subsequently died of harsh treatment, malnutrition and disease during their transport to Japan. Fewer than 200 prisoners remained alive when the Japanese finally surrendered and the war ended.
For these reasons, the wreck maintains a somber atmosphere in the minds of visiting divers. It lies only 500 meters from shore, near Alava Pier, at a maximum depth of 27 meters. It is mostly tangled wreckage and visibility can be poor due to its proximity to the outflow of the Kalaklan River.
Depth: 22m
Suitable for: Advanced Open Water / Experienced Divers
Landing Ship Tank (LST)
Following the end of World War Two, Subic Bay was utilized by the US Navy as a base and training area. US Marines regularly practiced amphibious assault techniques here and, occasionally, the landing craft used for that training became accidental casualties. The largest of these sunken assault craft is the Landing Ship Tank.
The Landing Ship Tank (LST) was created during World War Two for the purpose of supporting amphibious operations, by carrying large amounts of vehicles, cargo and personnel directly onto the shore. More than a thousand vessels of this type were commissioned by the US Navy. The basic design for the LST required a vessel capable of ocean travel, yet with a shallow draft for beaching operations. The ultimate design incorporated a variable ballast system, a length of 100m (328ft), a 15m (50ft) beam and minimum draft of 1.2m (3.8ft). With an unloaded weight of just 1780 tones, this scheme served to distribute the ship’s weight over a large area, allowing it to float higher in the water for landing. They could accommodate all types of Allied military vehicles and later production designs could also house and deploy a landing craft utility (LCU) or landing craft tank (LCT) from its main hold. She could transport over 2200 tones of cargo, men or machines. Her crew compliment was 8-110 officers and 100-115 sailors.
This 100 meter long vessel was deliberately scuttled in 1946 and now sits upright in the center of the bay with a maximum depth of 36m. Her giant bow doors have dropped away to the sea floor, although her main loading ramp remains raised. Along her front and mid-section the wreck is intact and contains a football pitch sized vehicle loading deck, which is easy to penetrate at each end. Her forward gun platforms (for 1x 3@ gun and 2x twin 20mm guns) remain in place. The top decks of her stern (rear) section have collapsed structurally, although the tangled wreckage attracts a wealth of marine life and schools of large barracuda, jacks and fusilier are common here. Visibility at this site is consistently good and, with luck, visiting divers may be treated to a swim-past by the bull shark that inhabits the deep sections of the bay.
Depth: 30-36m
Suitable for: Deep /Nitrox / Experienced Divers
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Landing Craft Utility (LCU)
Another post-war amphibious assault wreck is the Landing Craft Utility. There were many variants of utility landing craft designed and built during World War Two. The exampled dived in Subic Bay was actually designated as a ‘Landing Craft Tank’ (LCT6). Vessels of this type could be stored and operated from the larger Landing Ship Tank vessels.
It is believed that this wreck was sunk due to accident/storm, it lies in very sheltered water inside Triboa Bay, close to the end of the main Subic runway. This vessel type was used for transporting personnel or small vehicles onto beaches. It is sunk with its large forward ramp still raised and lies upright on a sloping bottom with a maximum depth of 22m.
The wreck is now home to a collection of lionfish species, along with predatory jack schools and many reef fish species. There are two gun platforms at the mid-section and several rooms that offer short penetrations towards the rear. The vessel is intact and it is easy to gain a comprehensive appreciation of her features in a single dive.
Depth: 9-22m
Suitable for: All levels of diver
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