Yamagiri Maru

The Yamagiri Maru is one of the Japanese freighters sunk during Operation Hailstone in February 1944, the American air raid that caught much of the Imperial Japanese fleet at anchor in Chuuk Lagoon. She lies in Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia, in the waters off the Faichuk Islands group near Fefan, and rests upright on the lagoon floor with her hull largely intact. Her holds still contain cargo, including truck chassis and other wartime supplies, which divers can explore through open hatches. Depths on the wreck typically range from the mid-20s down to around 30 metres or more at the seabed, putting much of the dive within recreational limits but with penetration sections better suited to experienced wreck divers. Chuuk's warm, calm lagoon waters have allowed heavy coral and sponge growth to cover much of the superstructure, giving the wreck a slow, encrusted look after decades underwater.

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

• Lined BristletoothCtenochaetus striatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Pacific Longnose ParrotfishHipposcarus longicepsReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellow-barred ParrotfishScarus dimidiatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Indian Bullethead ParrotfishChlorurus sordidusReported here · unconfirmed
• Peacock DamselPomacentrus pavoReported here · unconfirmed
• Redbreast Maori WrasseCheilinus fasciatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellowbar ParrotfishScarus schlegeliReported here · unconfirmed