MHK
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Wreck Diving DIR Style- South China Sea
By Michael H. Kane
In our on-going effort to provide like-minded DIR divers an outlet to explore unique and exotic wrecks worldwide, we assembled a team from around the globe to congregate in the South China Sea to explore two British Battle cruisers sunk by the Japanese fleet on December 10, 1941, the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales. I arrived in Singapore after a rather lengthy and arduous flight from Los Angeles. Local GUE instructor Gideon Liew had arranged transportation from the airport and set us up in a delightful hotel. After a much needed night of rest Canadian GUE instructor Dan Mackay, Kell Canty [from West Pam Beach, Florida] and I loaded the vans, drove into Malaysia where we were introduced to what would be our floating abode for the next 8 days, the MV Grace.
The MV Grace is a 110 long luxury vessel, well-suited for technical diving, designed with ample deck space and awesome AV equipment to view video of the days events. In short, its fair to conclude that the MV Grace is more then spacious for a team of technical divers who arrived complete with all their toys. The crew is extraordinarily helpful, the food abundant and the blending station is ideally located to allow for ease of filling. Since we made arrangements ahead of time for this to be DIR only divers the crew allowed us wide latitude in terms of controlling the blending, and allowing our surface manager to control the cadence and the teams. For additional details on the MV Grace see www.penetrationdivers.com .
We steamed 16 hours overnight to Tioman and met up with GUE Founder and President Jarrod Jablonski, GUE Technical Training Director Andrew Georgitsis, local GUE instructor Gideon Liew and Swedish GUE instructor Richard Johansson along with teams from Australia, Sweden, Germany, Singapore and the United States. JJ and AG were concluding a series of Tech 1 classes and Tech ITCs. This allowed the opportunity for the Tech 1 students to complete the experience phase dives of the Tech 1 class, and allowed the expedition members the day to do a shake out dive to sort out RBs, scooters, cameras and the rest of the equipment to insure that the various baggage handlers, TSA and airlines didnt invoke too much havoc on the equipment. After the shake out dives we once again steamed overnight to our desired destination, the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales.
Some historical data about the wrecks begin in late 1941 when the Japanese began to conquer the Pacific. They attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th and then seized upon Guam and Wake Island. On December 10th, Japanese submarines and fighter jets attacked a British fleet near Singapore resulting in the sinking of both the HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales.
Force Z, as the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales were known was commanded by Admiral Tom Phillips. They were attacked that fateful day by 88 Japanese aircraft (27 bombers and 61 torpedo planes) from the First Air Force. The loss of life was the greatest ever experienced by the Royal Navy in one incident; over 840 officers and men died. Conversely, only four Japanese aircraft were lost and the escorting destroyers were able to retrieve the survivors. This battle was considered yet another great victory for the Japanese in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor.
Theses two battleships should have been accompanied by the carrier Indomitable, but she was damaged, and without her cover Force Z was vulnerable to attack. Radio silence was maintained with a view towards a surprise attack on the Japanese in Kuantan; but without the ability to communicate Admiral Phillips could not request the necessary air cover that may very well have saved them.
As a result of the foregoing, 63 years later our team of GUE divers descended upon these two proud, but fallen, Battle cruisers to explore, document and catalogue the remains. The following are my observations:
By Michael H. Kane
In our on-going effort to provide like-minded DIR divers an outlet to explore unique and exotic wrecks worldwide, we assembled a team from around the globe to congregate in the South China Sea to explore two British Battle cruisers sunk by the Japanese fleet on December 10, 1941, the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales. I arrived in Singapore after a rather lengthy and arduous flight from Los Angeles. Local GUE instructor Gideon Liew had arranged transportation from the airport and set us up in a delightful hotel. After a much needed night of rest Canadian GUE instructor Dan Mackay, Kell Canty [from West Pam Beach, Florida] and I loaded the vans, drove into Malaysia where we were introduced to what would be our floating abode for the next 8 days, the MV Grace.
The MV Grace is a 110 long luxury vessel, well-suited for technical diving, designed with ample deck space and awesome AV equipment to view video of the days events. In short, its fair to conclude that the MV Grace is more then spacious for a team of technical divers who arrived complete with all their toys. The crew is extraordinarily helpful, the food abundant and the blending station is ideally located to allow for ease of filling. Since we made arrangements ahead of time for this to be DIR only divers the crew allowed us wide latitude in terms of controlling the blending, and allowing our surface manager to control the cadence and the teams. For additional details on the MV Grace see www.penetrationdivers.com .
We steamed 16 hours overnight to Tioman and met up with GUE Founder and President Jarrod Jablonski, GUE Technical Training Director Andrew Georgitsis, local GUE instructor Gideon Liew and Swedish GUE instructor Richard Johansson along with teams from Australia, Sweden, Germany, Singapore and the United States. JJ and AG were concluding a series of Tech 1 classes and Tech ITCs. This allowed the opportunity for the Tech 1 students to complete the experience phase dives of the Tech 1 class, and allowed the expedition members the day to do a shake out dive to sort out RBs, scooters, cameras and the rest of the equipment to insure that the various baggage handlers, TSA and airlines didnt invoke too much havoc on the equipment. After the shake out dives we once again steamed overnight to our desired destination, the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales.
Some historical data about the wrecks begin in late 1941 when the Japanese began to conquer the Pacific. They attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th and then seized upon Guam and Wake Island. On December 10th, Japanese submarines and fighter jets attacked a British fleet near Singapore resulting in the sinking of both the HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales.
Force Z, as the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales were known was commanded by Admiral Tom Phillips. They were attacked that fateful day by 88 Japanese aircraft (27 bombers and 61 torpedo planes) from the First Air Force. The loss of life was the greatest ever experienced by the Royal Navy in one incident; over 840 officers and men died. Conversely, only four Japanese aircraft were lost and the escorting destroyers were able to retrieve the survivors. This battle was considered yet another great victory for the Japanese in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor.
Theses two battleships should have been accompanied by the carrier Indomitable, but she was damaged, and without her cover Force Z was vulnerable to attack. Radio silence was maintained with a view towards a surprise attack on the Japanese in Kuantan; but without the ability to communicate Admiral Phillips could not request the necessary air cover that may very well have saved them.
As a result of the foregoing, 63 years later our team of GUE divers descended upon these two proud, but fallen, Battle cruisers to explore, document and catalogue the remains. The following are my observations:
