WWI SMS CORMORAN and WWII TOKAI MARU

[LadyDigger]

These are photos of my daughter's recent dive. She's stationed in Guam and has had a blast there, esp diving! However, her time is short...as I will be picking her up from the airport on 15 December!!! She's coming home after 2 years away! She is getting stationed here

The two bottom photos....one is my daughter sitting on the anchor and the last one is her touching BOTH ships at the same time!!!

Anyways, I wanted to share some of her photos with you...Thanks for looking and ENJOY!
Annmarie
PS: I hope I posted this in the right section...it does pertain to diving!

 

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[ivan salis]

odd how they are so very very close to each other -- cool but sad -- many men died on both those vessels I'm sure. -- guam was fiercely fought for in WW2 ---dec 7th is a day that we should remember and remember well --hard lessons were learned that day .

 

[phantomfinder]

SWEET PHOTO'S ...... WTG

 

[Goldust]

As I recall from my 15 months stationed on Guam, no one died on the Cormoran. She was scuttled by her German crew becauase WWI was declared while her crew was ashore.

 

[LadyDigger]

As I recall from my 15 months stationed on Guam, no one died on the Cormoran. She was scuttled by her German crew becauase WWI was declared while her crew was ashore.

That is correct. When the WWII ship was sunk, it was a fluke that it sunk where the Cormoran (WWI) was purposely sunk.

 

[ivan salis]

humm very odd bit of info -- one sank on purpose years earlier than the other -- very odd that the japanese vessel would anchor near the wreck of the earlier german wreck for fear of fouling their anchor on it you'ld think.

 

[LadyDigger]

humm very odd bit of info -- one sank on purpose years earlier than the other -- very odd that the japanese vessel would anchor near the wreck of the earlier german wreck for fear of fouling their anchor on it you'ld think.

From what my dau was telling me...when the WWII ship was sunk, it was not known that the WWI ship was there. Gotta figure ... that was ... what? About 30 some years apart?

 

[ivan salis]

world war 1 started about 1914 --- world war two ran from 1939 to 1945 ---so a 25 to 31 year window --the earlier wreck site should have been marked on the local sea charts -- to prevent dropping anchor into a wreck that will tangle and snag your anchor . -- our modern sea charts note wrecks to prevent just that from happening--- maybe the japanese anchored close by so they could fish the wreck for fresh fish to eat.

 

[LadyDigger]

world war 1 started about 1914 --- world war two ran from 1939 to 1945 ---so a 25 to 31 year window --the earlier wreck site should have been marked on the local sea charts -- to prevent dropping anchor into a wreck that will tangle and snag your anchor . -- our modern sea charts note wrecks to prevent just that from happening--- maybe the japanese anchored close by so they could fish the wreck for fresh fish to eat.

I'm not sure of the details of the Japanese anchoring there....just know it was sunk and it happened to sink where the Cormoran was. I think it is neat and that my dau dived it and touched both ships!

Here's history on the SMS Cormoran from this website: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/marianas_apra.html

Ship History
The German WWI merchant raider, SMS Cormoran, was originally built by German in 1909 for the Russian Volunteer Fleet and named the Rjasan. She was used by the Russians as a combination mail, freight, passenger, and cargo hauler throughout the North Pacific.

Captured by the Germans in 1914 as their first prize of the war with Russia and Japan. The Rjasan was taken to Tsingtao, China and converted to an armed merchant raider and renamed the SMS Cormoran after the original warship had serious engine failures.

WWI History
On August 10th the "new" Cormoran left harbor and sailed throughout the South Pacific, spending literally all of her time trying to avoid the larger Japanese battleships that were chasing her all over the Pacific.

On December 14, 1914 the Cormoran pulled into Apra Harbor off Guam with only 50 tons of coal remaining. Due to both the very unstable relationships between Germany and the U.S., and that Guam also had a very limited amount of coal, the Guam Military Governor refused to supply the Cormoran with more than a token amount of coal, hence, she was forced into internment on Guam. Over the next two years the crew became guests of the Guamanians, and relations were very good. Eventually, the crew moved off the ship and settled into a "normal" routine ashore.

Scuttling
At the outbreak of American's entry into World War I, on April 7, 1917 the captain of the Cormoran, Adalbert Zuckschwerdt, scuttled the ship, in Apra Harbor, instead of turning her over to the Americans. 13 crew members went down with the ship and they were buried with full military honors in the Naval cemetery in Agana. The remainder of the crew was sent to Fort Douglas, Utah for the duration of the war. They were finally sent home to Germany on October 7, 1919. She is sunk directly beside the Tokai Maru.

Shipwreck
The hull of the Cormoran is intact. The engine room is easily accessible through the skylights, and most of the superstructure is relatively intact. Visibility averages 35-40', but can vary due to the tide and large ship traffic in the harbor. Visibility averages 35-40', but can vary due weather and tidal flow in the harbor.

Same website, just a different link, this is said about the Tokai Maru:

Ship History
A Japanese passenger-cargo freighter put in service in August, 1930. Used by the Osaka Shosen Company as one of their modern fast luxury freighters traveling from Tokyo to New York.

Re-commissioned as a freighter under contract to the Japanese Imperial Navy in October, 1941, and was used to transport war materials and personnel throughout the Pacific. On January 24, 1943 the Tokai was observed anchored in Apra Harbor by the US submarine FLYING FISH. Assuming that the ship was soon to leave the harbor, the FLYING FISH waited outside the entrance for 3 days. With no movement of the ship or any other vessels, the FLYING FISH fired two torpedoes set to run at 1' depth. One of the torpedoes ran aground on the reef, but the other struck the Tokai causing considerable damage, but not sinking her.

Sinking History
Seven months later, the US submarine SNAPPER, patrolling west of Guam, spotted two ships in the harbor. Not knowing at the time that these were the Tokai Maru and another damaged ship (Nichiyo Maru), the submarine patiently waited for one week, and then made a submerged attack under the eye's of a Japanese patrol vessel less than two miles away.

At 3:23 on the afternoon of August 27th, the SNAPPER fired a spread of four torpedoes, three at the nearest ship (Tokai) and the fourth at the other. The SNAPPER immediately headed west for safer waters. Over the next few hours numerous explosions were heard, and the Tokai was observed with the bow at an extreme "up angle", indicating that the stern was on the bottom. A few minutes later the Tokai slipped beneath the surface, sinking into Apra Harbor, off Guam. She was sunk only six feet away from the German cruiser from WWI.

Commander M.K. Clementson recalls:
"For the next 10-15 minutes heard some very faint distant explosions undoubtedly inside the harbor and one explosion about 100 yards away (from the submarine), probably from the patrol vessel. His screws were not heard after this so it is believed possible that this nicely inefficient gent probably decommissioned himself. Departed from the area at good speed, and depth, however."

Leon Theriault adds:
“While station in Guam in 1959 with MCB5 ‘Seabees’ made a dive to the Tokai Maru, at that time there was a lot of china plates scattered along the bottom next to the wreck site, one of the other items that was salvaged%2C was a very nice looking purple marble washbasin, i still have the picture of that. at that time their didn’t seem to be to much of and interest in wreck diving. I did make more dives to that wreck.”

Shipwreck
She rests in 120 feet with an 85 degree list to port (left). The shallowest part of the ship is the upper forward bridge area at a depth of 40 feet. There is damage on the starboard bow, but this is believed to have been inflicted on the first attack in January, 1943. Visibility averages 35-40', but can vary due to the tide and large ship traffic in the harbor.

Dan Lantzy adds:
"The other photo is a bow shot of the Toki Maru. It rests in about 130 feet of water resting on it's port side. If you look close at the photo, you can see some of the damage aft of her bow on the starboard side. it was initially struck with artillery shells from a surface warship. That damage put her back in port. Later, she was struck by a torpedo via a U.S. sub. The most interesting thing about this wreck is she's actually touching a World War I German Auxiliary cruiser (SMS Cormoran)"

Cargo Holds
A torpedo has blown a hole in the port #3 cargo hold, and this is undoubtedly the torpedo that sunk her. Contains remains of truck frames, beds, scrap steel, and misc objects. The engine room is huge, and both of her engines, catwalks, and panels are intact. The after deck house in the stern of the vessel contains at least 4 depth charges, which are plainly visible from the top of the structure.