Diving the Kiyosumi Maru
The Kiyosumi Maru was a merchant cruiser, like the Aikoku Maru. Her mission was to attack merchant shipping while appearing to be a harmless merchant ship herself. Her armament included several large-bore naval rifles, torpedo tubes and anti-aircraft guns.
The National Geographic Society photographed their dives on the wreck for the May, 1976 issue. One of the memorable shots was one of the bicycles in the ship's holds. Those bikes are still there, although a quarter-century of exposure to salt water has eroded the bike's metalwork. There's also a remarkable spare ship's propeller in the hold. It's huge, and it's a wonder that the prop wasn't salvaged after the war.
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