Japan's 'golden' World War II wreck

A team of technical divers, equipped with rebreathers, conducted 16 amazing dives on a wartime wreck located at a depth of over 90m. All of the dives took place in early May, with the aim of exploring the wreck for the valuable cargo it was said to be carrying.

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The wreck found is believed to be the Japanese vessel Kuda Maru, which disappeared during World War II. What is most interesting about the story of the Japanese sailors who disappeared is that under the deck of their ship, there was supposed to be a cargo of stolen gold!

AP Diving brand rebs were used for the dive. This is the same brand whose equipment was used to create the life support system on James Cameron’s boat, in which he reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

According to expedition spokesman Theuns van Niekerk, the divers could not spend more than 45min in the deepest parts because of the great depth, which would have forced them into a very long decompression.

Unfortunately, the task of finding the name on the hull of the wreck was almost impossible. Due to the lack of time and severe corrosion, which has consumed the wreck for the past 70 years, it has not been possible to confirm whether the remains found are the desired vessel.

In addition to attempting to identify it by tracing the name, extensive video footage has been produced, and photographs and drawings have been made for later identification.

Source: apdiving.com