USS Emmons

The USS Emmons was a US Navy destroyer minesweeper that came under sustained kamikaze attack off Okinawa in April 1945 and was scuttled after the damage proved too severe to save the ship. It now rests near Kouri Island off the Okinawan coast, broken into sections, with a maximum depth of around 45 metres and rated an advanced dive. Divers encounter gun mounts and hull sections colonized by soft corals and reef fish, with the site valued mainly for its wartime history and the scale of the ship rather than for marine life abundance. Divers have also reported deep water, short no-decompression times, and strong current here, all consistent with the exposed, open-water setting off Kouri Island. Trips to the wreck are usually arranged through operators based on Okinawa, given the depth and the current conditions divers have noted.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Tawny Hermit CrabCoenobita rugosusReported here · unconfirmed
• Thin-shelled Rock CrabGrapsus tenuicrustatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Cavipes Hermit CrabCoenobita cavipesReported here · unconfirmed
• Sunset WrasseThalassoma lutescensReported here · unconfirmed