See a Sunken World War I Ship and a World War II One Together

In my History Blog, Cooter's History Thing, today, I wrote about a World War I German raider, the SMS Cormoran, which was sunk by its own crew in Apra Harbor Guam. It's wreck lies next to that of a World War Japanese merchant ship the Tokai Maru.

Si, I had to do some research on the Japanese ship. From the excellent Pacific Wrecks site.

The 440 foot long, 60 foot wide Tokai Maru was launched in 1930 as a modern fast luxury freighter running between Tokyo and New York. In October 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy commissioned it to run supplies and troops.

On Jan. 24, 1943, the submarine USS Flying Fish spotted it at anchor in Apra Harbor, Guam, and waited for it to leave. When it became apparent that it wasn't going to leave, the sub fired two torpedoes into the harbor, one struck the Tokai Maru causing damage.

Seven months later, the submarine USS Snapper found the Tokai Maru in the harbor still. Again, the ship did not come out, so the Snapper went in and fired torpedoes at it and another transport. It hightailed it out of the shallow harbor and heard explosions. This time the Tokai Maru sank.

The Story of Two Ships. --GreGen