Wallis Island (Uvea) · Wallis and Futuna · Wreck
US WWII barges
Wheelhouse dials still visible on 1944 US military barges
Area photo: Anna Vinet · CC BY-SA 4.0
The US WWII barges are military barges sunk in the Wallis lagoon in 1944, when American forces left the island. They are well preserved and overgrown with black coral, and the deep bottom makes them a dive for experienced divers who come for the wartime history.
Also known as Barge US2, Barges US.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Wallis Island (Uvea) and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Divers go down a shotline and follow the guide line to the barge. The barges sit on a bottom at 42 m (138 ft), and a US pontoon found in the same lagoon rests on a bottom at 28 m. Black coral formations have claimed the hulls over the decades.
The barges are well preserved. The dials in the wheelhouse can still be made out, spare propellers can be seen, and on barge US2 a fire extinguisher is still lashed outside the wheelhouse.
The wreck
- Vessel
- US WWII military barges, including barge US2
- Type
- Military barge
- Sunk
- 1944
- Cause
- Scuttled in the lagoon by US forces before they left Wallis
- Lies
- On a 42 m bottom in the lagoon
US forces arrived on Wallis on 28 May 1942, when 2000 GIs came in through the Fatumanini pass. Before leaving in 1944 they sank military equipment in the lagoon and in Lake Lalolalo, and the barges are among what went down. They have since become an artificial reef.
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 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Wallis Island (Uvea): Diving runs all year; the sea is warmest in March and April at about 30 °C and coolest in August near 28 °C.
Questions divers ask
What certification do the US WWII barges need?+
An advanced level with deep training: the barges sit on a 42 m bottom, reached by following a shotline down to the wreck.
Sources
- 101 Best Things to Do in Wallis & Futuna — WallisandFutunaPocketGuide.com
- Evasion Bleue Wallis — Evasion Bleue
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Drift
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Lagoon
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