Labuan & Brunei Wrecks · Brunei Bay, Brunei · Wreck
American Wreck
USS Salute: a 56 m minesweeper mined in 1945, broken in two at 22–32 m in Brunei Bay
Her gun turret and barrels are still intact. The Admirable-class minesweeper USS Salute struck a Japanese mine on 8 June 1945 while sweeping ahead of the landings in Brunei Bay, and now lies broken in two on sand, one section across the other, just on the Brunei side of the sea boundary with Labuan. She is the most broken-up of the wrecks here, small-arms ammunition lies scattered around the collapsed bow, and boats from Serasa reach her in about 30 minutes.
Also known as USS Salute, USS Salute (AM-294).
Where it is and how deep
5.1200° N, 115.1055° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The top of the wreck is at 22 m and the sand at 32 m, so the dive starts deep and stays that way. What you land on is two pieces: the bow collapsed and spread across the seabed, virtually separate from the stern, which held together better. Getting oriented takes a moment because there is no continuous deck to follow, so you work one section, cross the gap and pick up the other.
The military detail is the reason divers come. The gun turret and barrels are still intact and make the obvious photograph; around the bow you can pick out small-arms ammunition, bullet clips, depth charges and wire bottles among the plating. Unexploded depth charges were removed from the site by the Malaysian navy, but munitions remain on and near the wreck, so it is a look-only dive.
Coral and other growth has taken hold across both sections, and schools of yellowtail, jackfish and barracuda circle the ship's skeleton. Penetration is not advisable here: the hull is broken and collapsed rather than open, and at 32 m there is no margin for working out a way back through it.
The wreck
- Vessel
- USS Salute (AM-294)
- Type
- Admirable-class minesweeper
- Length
- 56 m (184 ft)
- Built
- 1943
- Sunk
- 1945
- Cause
- Struck a Japanese mine during pre-invasion sweeps of Brunei Bay
- Lies
- Broken in two on sand at about 30 m, one piece across the other
Salute was laid down at the Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company in Seattle in November 1942, launched in February 1943 and commissioned that December. She earned five battle stars in the Second World War. On 8 June 1945, sweeping ahead of the landings in Brunei Bay, she struck a mine, buckled amidships and went down as both bow and stern sank; six men were killed and three were reported missing, nine lost in all.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Labuan & Brunei Wrecks: Calm seas and better visibility run March to October, with April to July the best stretch; the wet season from November to February is rougher and murkier.
Know before you go
- Munitions lie on and around the wreck; the Malaysian navy has removed unexploded depth charges from the site, but nothing here should be touched or moved.
- The wreck is broken and collapsed rather than open, and penetration is not advisable: dive the outside of both sections and treat gaps in the plating as a swim-past, not an entry.
- The shallowest structure is at 22 m and the sand at 32 m, so bottom time is short. Plan the profile and the gas before you drop rather than on the wreck.
Dive videos
Brunei July 31st dive on the USS Salute · Unkindness of Ravens on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the American Wreck?+
The top of the structure is at 22 m and the sand around it at 32 m, with the deepest published figure about 33 m. That makes it an Advanced-level dive with a short bottom time.
Can you go inside the USS Salute?+
Operators advise against it. She is the most broken-up of the wrecks here, with a collapsed bow spread across the seabed, and the dive is spent exploring around the two sections rather than inside them.
Is the American Wreck in Brunei or Malaysia?+
She lies at the mouth of Brunei Bay, close to the sea boundary between Brunei and Labuan. Published positions put her just inside Brunei's territorial sea, while Malaysia counts her among the four Labuan wrecks gazetted as a protected zone in 2011. Boats from Serasa in Brunei reach her in about 30 minutes.
Sources
- USS Salute (AM-294) — Wikipedia
- Brunei — Wikivoyage
- Labuan — Wikivoyage
- American Wreck dive site — PADI
- Dive Sites in Brunei — Poni Divers
- American Wreck — Asia Dive Site
- Bruneian 12 NM (territorial sea) — Flanders Marine Institute
- Labuan Shipwrecks Offer Divers A Journey Through History And Marine Wonders — Bernama
In The Logbook
- WWII wrecks you can dive, by theatreWrecks · 7 min read
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