DIVING TRUK LAGOON
535' (163m) 19,209-ton Tanker was built in 1938 as a whaling factory, but was converted into a tanker for war use. She was the largest ship sunk in Truk Lagoon. Tonan Maru 3 was attacked several times in the years before, but mostly because of eight defective torpedoes fired by the USS Tinosa, this prime target did not go down. American torpedo design had to be corrected because of this failure. However, the damaged ship was in Truk Lagoon being used as a refueling station when attacked and finally sunk, with the loss of 315 lives. Oddly, in 1951, she was refloated, fixed, towed back to Japan, and again became a whaling factory.
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Diving Truk Lagoon
