Florida & Russell Islands · Solomon Islands · Wreck
USS Kanawha
The US Navy's first purpose-built oiler, guns still in place
The main wreck of the Tulagi area: a 145 m US Navy fuel tanker bombed by Japanese aircraft in April 1943, which slid off the beach into deep water. It sits on the bottom at 60 m and is a dive for experienced divers.
Also known as Kanawha, USS Kanawha (AO-1).
Where it is and how deep
9.1015° S, 160.1500° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The hull rests in 60 m, but most of the ship's features, including its guns, can be seen without going below 47 m. The tanker lies off the west side of Tulagi, where she slid into deep water after being beached.
The wreck
- Vessel
- USS Kanawha (AO-1)
- Type
- Replenishment oiler (fuel tanker)
- Length
- 145 m (476 ft)
- Built
- 1914
- Sunk
- 1943
- Cause
- Bombed by Japanese dive bombers; beached off Tulagi, then slid into deep water and sank
- Lies
- On the bottom at 60 m off the west side of Tulagi
Kanawha, originally Fuel Ship No. 13, was the first purpose-built oiler of the US Navy. She was laid down on 8 December 1913 at the Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California, launched on 11 July 1914 and commissioned on 5 June 1915. Japanese dive bombers hit her on 7 April 1943. The tug Rail towed her to the west side of Tulagi and beached her shortly before midnight, but she slid off into deep water and sank before daybreak on 8 April.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Florida & Russell Islands: Diving runs all year; the northwesterlies of November to April bring more rain and the odd squall or cyclone that can reroute a trip.
Dive videos
Diving the wreck of USS KANAWHA - Tulagi, Guadalcanal 2017 · Rod Macdonald on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Does the USS Kanawha need a dive to 60 m?+
No. The wreck rests in 60 m, but most of the ship, including its guns, can be seen without going below 47 m, which is still a deep dive for experienced divers.
Sources
- Tulagi, for lovers of Rust and Reef — Diveplanit
- USS Kanawha (AO-1) - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
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