Subic Bay · Philippines · Wreck
AJ-2 Savage Bomber
An intact carrier bomber in 72 m of blue water
A North American AJ-2 Savage bomber lies in 72 m of blue water several kilometres outside Subic Bay, very intact apart from damage to the rear fuselage and one missing propeller. It is strictly a trimix dive, described locally as a must for trimix divers among Subic's deep aircraft wrecks.
Also known as North American AJ-2 Savage.
Where it is and how deep
14.7409° N, 120.1315° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Everything about this dive is set by two numbers: 72 m of depth, several kilometres outside the bay. It is a trimix dive in open blue water, run from a boat with shot lines and a staged decompression plan, and the bottom phase is short and purposeful. Local accounts call it a must for trimix divers, and the plan leaves no room for improvisation once the team is in the water.
The airframe rewards the logistics. The Savage is very intact except for some damage to the rear fuselage and one missing propeller — which likely broke off as a result of the engine over-speeding — so it still reads unmistakably as a big carrier bomber sitting on the bottom. You take your minutes over the aircraft, then commit to the long, blue-water ride back up.
The wreck
- Vessel
- North American AJ-2 Savage
- Type
- Carrier-based bomber
- Cause
- Not recorded in published sources
- Lies
- In 72 m of blue water several kilometres outside the bay, very intact with damage to the rear fuselage
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Subic Bay: November–May dry season is clearest, best February–May; the July–September monsoon cuts inner-bay visibility and cancels rough days.
Sources
- Savage A2 AJ2 Bomber Wreck — Scubago
- Subic Bay Wreck Diving Sites | Maps, History and Dive Information — Scuba Tech Philippines
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An 1891 armored cruiser scuttled to deny her to Japan
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Wreck
A trimix wreck at 69 m, dived in blue water
An inverted Japanese DC-3 copy, found in 2013
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Barracuda and jack schools over an upright landing ship
An intact AD-5N Skyraider, upright at 35 m
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