Okinawa · Japan · Wreck
USS Emmons
A 106 m destroyer on her side at 34-46 m, sunk off Kouri in 1945
A United States Navy destroyer lying on her side in 34 to 46 m of water off the north side of Kouri Island, hit by five kamikaze aircraft during the Battle of Okinawa and sunk by American gunfire the next day. Fast current and the decompression the depth forces make it a dive for experienced divers, and the US Navy still holds custody of the wreck.
Also known as DD-457, DMS-22, エモンズ.
Where it is and how deep
26.8000° N, 128.0667° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is a boat dive off the north side of Kouri Island, at the top of Okinawa. Emmons lies on her side in 34 to 46 m of water, and the Japanese description of the site is blunt about what that means: the current runs fast and the depth involves decompression, which together make it a site for experienced divers. The plan for the ascent is settled before anyone gets in the water.
What is down there is a Gleaves-class destroyer 106 m long, reclassified in November 1944 as the high-speed minesweeper DMS-22. On the afternoon of 6 April 1945, off Okinawa, five kamikaze aircraft struck her; crippled and ablaze with her ammunition exploding in bulk, she could not be saved and was sunk the following day by gunfire from USS Ellyson. Seabed surveys since 2000 have turned up engines and control columns from Type 98 reconnaissance aircraft around the hull, which is how it is known that those aircraft took part in the attack.
How you behave on her matters as much as how you dive her. The US Navy still has custody of the wreck: divers removed the ship's data plate without permission in 2010 and the Navy recovered it in April 2011, and in June 2022 a Naha dive shop apologised and deleted photographs after members of the Emmons Association objected to divers being pictured sitting on one of her gun barrels. To the veterans, taking anything from her is akin to robbing a grave.
The wreck
- Vessel
- USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22)
- Type
- Gleaves-class destroyer, later high-speed minesweeper
- Length
- 106 m (348 ft)
- Built
- 1941
- Sunk
- 1945
- Cause
- Struck by five kamikaze aircraft on 6 April 1945, then sunk by gunfire from USS Ellyson
- Lies
- On her side in 34-46 m off the north side of Kouri Island
Emmons was launched on 23 August 1941 and commissioned that December as a Gleaves-class destroyer, then reclassified in November 1944 as the high-speed destroyer minesweeper DMS-22. On 6 April 1945, off Okinawa, five kamikaze aircraft hit her; crippled and ablaze with ammunition exploding in bulk, she was impossible to save and was sunk the next day by gunfire from USS Ellyson. She was found again in September 2000, when oil rising north of Kouri Island led a fishing boat to report it and a coast guard survey located a sunken warship; a local diving instructor identified her that December, and she has been dived since.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Okinawa: Divable year-round; Mar–Jun and Oct–Nov are calmest, while Jul–Sep is typhoon season and winter northerlies close the west coast.
Know before you go
- The current over the wreck runs fast and the depth commits the dive to decompression, which is why Japanese sources rate it a site for advanced divers only.
- The US Navy still holds custody of the wreck. Divers removed the ship's data plate without permission in 2010 and the Navy recovered it in April 2011.
- Contact with the ship is treated as desecration: a Naha shop apologised in 2022 after posting photographs of divers sitting on one of Emmons' gun barrels.
Dive videos
USS Emmons - Bow Section - Full Dive · SandmanScuba on YouTube
USS Emmons・Another Tech Dive on an Unbelievable WWII Wreck near Kouri Island・Okinawa · Okinawa Island Diver on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the USS Emmons wreck?+
She lies on her side in 34 to 46 m of water off the north side of Kouri Island. That depth, with the fast current over the wreck, commits the dive to planned decompression and puts it beyond ordinary recreational limits.
How did the USS Emmons sink?+
Five kamikaze aircraft hit her on 6 April 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa. Crippled and burning, with her ammunition exploding, she could not be saved and was sunk by gunfire from USS Ellyson the following day.
Sources
- USS Emmons — Wikipedia
- エモンズ (駆逐艦) — Wikipedia (Japanese)
In The Logbook
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- WWII wrecks you can dive, by theatreWrecks · 7 min read
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