Akitsushima

The Akitsushima is a Japanese Imperial Navy seaplane tender wreck lying between Culion and Busuanga Islands in the Coron area of the Philippines, near Manglet Island (N 11°59.218′, E 119°58.417′). The ship measured 118 metres in length and 15.7 metres wide, displacing 4,724 tons, and was powered by four diesel engines driving twin propellers at up to 19 knots. Armed with ten 25 mm anti-aircraft guns and four five-inch guns, she also carried one large Kawanishi flying boat. She was struck near the stern where the flying boat rested on its metal launch tracks, causing severe structural damage that nearly split the hull in two; only partial steel on the starboard side and bottom kept the stern attached to the rest of the ship.

The wreck rests on her port side with a maximum depth of 36 metres and an average working depth of 26–28 metres. The crane used to lift the seaplane is intact and now lies on the sandy bottom alongside the hull. One three-barrelled anti-aircraft gun mounting remains at the forward end of the flying boat tracks, and the internal damage throughout the stern section is extensive and visually striking.

The crane area draws schools of giant batfish and barracuda, while giant groupers gather under the bow and yellowfin tuna are also present at the site. Schools of barracuda shelter specifically beneath the bow section.