Japanese Cruiser Kuma - The Wreck

The Wreck

Kuma's wreck was discovered in March 2004 by Australian diver & photojournalist Kevin Denlay and a group of divers operating off the research vessel Empress, based out of Singapore. The ship was found to be on her starboard side in 155 feet (47 m) of water, covered in fishing nets and snagged fishing lines. The bridge structure was fairly intact, although half-buried in bottom silt, and her funnels had fallen off. The port side waist 5.5-inch gun was intact, save for the top of the mount enclosure, which had disintegrated. The circular rotating base of the forward port torpedo rack was intact, but there were no torpedo tubes mounted on it. The aft mount of the same structure had fallen off. The glass in many of the portholes has been melted and fused due to the fire that raged amidships while the vessel was sinking. The ship's stern was missing completely; all that remained was a jagged edge, but the outboard port propeller was still in place.