Diving on the USS John Penn

Listen to this article One of the diving attractions of the Solomon Islands, is the wreck of the American ship USS John Penn. The vessel, almost 150 m long, was attacked by torpedo planes and sent to the bottom on 13 August 1943. Of the crew, 35 sailors survived and went on to serve in

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: May 11, 2012 - 20:02

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 05:43

Listen to this article

One of the diving attractions of the Solomon Islands, is the wreck of the American ship USS John Penn. The vessel, almost 150 m long, was attacked by torpedo planes and sent to the bottom on 13 August 1943. Of the crew, 35 sailors survived and went on to serve in other US Navy ships and take part in many key battles of World War II, taking revenge for their losses.

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Today, the USS John Penn rests at a depth of 57m and is the destination of expeditions for slightly more experienced divers visiting the British Commonwealth Solomon Islands.

The wreck is quite heavily damaged and overgrown by local fauna, but inside the wreck, as well as in its immediate vicinity, we will find many items that have been lying there untouched since the sinking. We will be accompanied (as usual on large wrecks) by numerous representatives of the local fauna, for which the wreck of the USS John Penn has become a new home.

Source wikipedia.org
Film: Liam Allen

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.