Hoki Maru Truk Lagoon June 2024

The Hoki Maru was originally the British - New Zealand ship Hauraki, and was a cargo ship with accommodation for twelve passengers. She was built by William Denny and Brothers at Dumbarton in Scotland, and launched on 28th of November 1921. In 1942 the vessel was owned by the Union Steamship Corporation of New Zealand, and whilst on a voyage from Freemantle to Colombo, she was seized by the Japanese auxiliary cruisers Aikoko Maru, and the Hokoko Maru. She was renamed the Hoki Maru and rated as a ‘special transport’. The original crew were captured by the Japanese and only the captain survived the the brutality of the Japanese prison camps. Early in January 1944 the ship left Yokohama loaded with a full cargo of coal and other defense materials bound for Truk. When she got there she had no time to offload her cargo before she was bombed and sunk. She rests in 130 feet on the sea bed; it is only 80 feet to the main amidships section. The wreck is well broken up and a large piece of her stern has disappeared altogether. The wreck is famous for its cargo of intact trucks and tractors. The Hoki is littered with rice bowls, glass containers, sake and beer bottles, and some interesting toilet bowls.