USS Emmons
DivingPermit neededMooring buoys
Wrecks · Also good for anchoring
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Oct–Nov
- Water temp.
- 21–28 °C
- Dive depth
- 40–45 m
A 106m Gleaves-class destroyer lying upright and remarkably intact at 45m, with gun mounts, depth-charge racks and the superstructure legible. Japan's finest WWII warship dive, and one almost nobody has done. On 6 April 1945 off Okinawa, USS Emmons was hit by five kamikaze aircraft while defending the damaged Rodman; 60 of her crew were killed. She was scuttled by American gunfire the next day. Located in 2000 and now protected, divers hold a memorial service on the anniversary each April. Anchorage: Anchor in the lee of Kouri or Yagaji islands; the site is an offshore boat dive. Hazards: 40m+ on a current-swept site, deep-certified divers only, and it is a war grave, 60 men died aboard. No penetration, nothing removed.






