Liberty Wreck

The Liberty, a ship which was 120 meters long, 17 meters in beam, drafted 7.3 meters and which grossed 6.211 tons powered by a 2500 horsepower steam turbine engine, was built by the federal shipbuilding company in Kearny, New Jersey. On the 11th of January 1942 the Liberty, carrying war materials from Australia to the Philippines, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine (the I-166) while navigating the Lombok Strait. The Liberty was seriously damaged by the hit but did not sink. Two destroyers attempted to tow her to Singaraja for repair but, as she was taking in too much water, she was beached at Tulamben. Nothing of value remains on the ship as everything was removed over the following year. More than 20 years later, in 1963, Bali's highest and most holy mountain, Gunung Agung, erupted and caused an earthquake strong enough to roll the ship back in to deeper water. It also broke the Liberty at the bow and stern. The Liberty lies almost parallel to the beach. The deepest part of the wreck is at about 28 to 30 meters and the shallowest touches the sandy slope at a depth of 7 to 9 meters. The wreck is easy and is great for photographers as gorgonians, anemones, and coral coat the wreck. The black sand of Tulamben provides a fantastic color contrast to the various examples of marine life. It is almost impossible to list all the things you will see at this wreck as you will probably come across almost everything in any Indo-Pacific guidebook. The variety is amazing and includes tiny angelfish, nudibranchs, pipefish and gobies, schools of black-eyed trevally, batfish, sweetlips and butterflyfish, among many others. One can also observe black corals, hard coral, sea fans and sponges. The current is not a concern at this wreck and, if present, is mild. This wreck is also great for night dives, especially if the moon is full. At night you could see Spanish dancers, flashflight fish, or sleeping parrotfish.