The Australian Wreck is located about a mile away from the American Wreck. She has a confusing history. Originally the Dutch ship SS De Klerk she was thought to have been sunk by the Royal Australian Air Force, hence the given name, but was actually scuttled by the Dutch in 1942 at Tanjong Priok in the face of advancing Japanese forces.
In 1943 she was raised by the Japanese and renamed Imabari Maru. In 1945 while travelling between Singapore and Manilla she hit a mine and sank again. 339 passenger lost their lives when she sank, 308 workers, 26 comfort women and 5 Japanese soldiers.
The wreck is 85m long and 12m wide. She now sits on her port side in 34m of water. The shallowest part of the wreck is 25m deep. The huge blast hole from the mine is visible on the starboard hull.
Most of the wreck is now just a steel skeleton and penetration is easy. Care should be taken due to the vast amount of scorpionfish and stonefish on the wreck. Lionfish are present as are well hidden frogfish and anglerfish.
The steel structure is covered in black coral bushes, hydroids and sea whips that are home to myriads of small fish. Large groupers patrol the wreck.
The Blue Water Wreck :: The Cement Wreck :: The American Wreck
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